


Only Half Human

by J_P_Lupine



Category: Being Human (UK)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Exophilia, F/M, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Ghosts, He needs love, Monsters, NSFW, Teratophilia, Tom is Baby, Vampires, Werewolves, adlet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Naya, to fulfill the last wish of a passed on ghost, travels to Wales to pass on the deceased's last words. However, through a series of unforeseen events, Naya finds herself staying and living with some unlikely roommates.





	1. New Beginning

Meg was a sweet girl with some fire when riled. I had met her a few months after she passed in an accident, and we lived together for nearly a year before her door finally appeared. As she was walking into that bright light, tears streaming down her face as we were saying goodbye, she asked me to talk to her family for her- apologize for the things she hadn't been able to. In the heat of the moment and through the crying, I had agreed.

It took a second for it to settle in after her door closed and vanished, but once I realized what I had signed myself up for, I literally smacked myself.

Twice.

With both hands.

Meg, bless her, had come from Wales and I had to explain to those people hundreds of miles away how I knew their daughter and have a tear-jerking conversation on how she was sorry for the things she had done. So, packing my bags and heading out on the cheapest flight, I traveled to Wales and found her family.

Of course, my pocket was full of lies- how was I supposed to explain to them that I met their daughter after death? How was I supposed to explain that I had actually been living with her as a ghost for almost a year? Well, I didn't have to figure it out because I just simply _lied_. I said I had met her before the accident at a frat house and we had classes together at the college. _Which I never actually went to, I started working as soon as I was out of high school...._

After watching her family cry as I said the words Meg would never be able to, and after being drug into a god-awkward hug for a good, solid ten minutes, I went on my way with a weight off of my shoulders and the knowledge that Meg's final wish was granted.

Once that was done, however, it seemed Wales was showing it's ugly side when I got jumped by a rag-tag team of vampires in an alley on the way back to the hotel. No matter how much they reeked of blood- the bastards- they kept telling _me_ that _I_ stank and that they had to teach the _dog_ a lesson.

As fate would have it after that, though, a ghost showed up and tossed them around like they were nothing.

"I could have handled them myself." I had told her while wiping blood from my busted lip, but she only looked at me with a soft smile and pity in her eyes while helping me to my feet.

"I'm sure you could have. Now, let's go get you cleaned up." She replied, leading me out of the alley. That....That was how I met Annie.

She took me home with her, introducing me to George and Nina as I was bleeding on their couch. They were rather tight-lipped with me at first, but they opened up by the end of the night while I was eating dinner with them.

Annie was rather talkative, going on-and-on about how she's never met an American before and always wanted to see what Hawaii was like. George and Nina were rather nice, but seemed rather confused with how I could see and hear Annie without being like them.

Some things happened soon after, and I ended up staying with them rather than returning to America. I had never encountered people like them all at once before, and I was grateful to them for their kindness towards me. I got a job at a cafe, worked to help pay the rent, and took double shifts after Nina's baby was born to help take care of her while everyone was hiding due to the vampires there.

I was unknown the the vampires that were after them since I had arrived after all the fighting had began, so I was able to go out into the world and work freely. I wouldn't get home until well into the morning, but there'd always be a cup of tea waiting for me, freshly made by Annie, and I could relax until I had to go back for the next shift.

After Nina's death, George completely changed and holed up in the attic with crosses, stakes, and mirrors, not letting the baby girl leave the room. I continued to work, trying to financially help while Annie attempted to get George to move from his post as she took care of the house.

~

It was the baby's first full moon tonight, and I assumed George would figure something out for the baby while he took the basement. I was working a double shift that night, so I wouldn't be back until the next morning and I'd be sure to ask what happened with the baby.

Yawning as I wiped down the table, I glanced to the clock. There were still a few hours until the moon rose, so George was more than likely working something out for the baby right now back at home. Spraying down the next table, I dropped the rag on it and cleaned the crumb covered surface. I was exhausted, but I knew what was waiting for me back home.

A baby without a name that needed formula, George that needed a whole chicken once a month, and Annie that needed someone to drink all the tea she made when she was stressed or overthinking something. That's what was depending on me, so I continued to work on despite how tired I was.

"Oi, table seven needs ya." The man behind the counter called out while pointing. Sending him a look, I dropped the rag and spray bottle and went to the table of teens with menu's.

"What can I get ya?"

"An American?" One popped off, looking up at me.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Another chuckled while setting down the menu in their hands.

"Yes, I'm American." My hold on the pen tightened. "Now, ready to order?"

"I guess what they say is true, huh?"

"Excuse me?" My brows furrowed as I finally glanced to them. It was a trio of males, all eyeing me as I stood there.

"America's got no portion control." His eyes were staring straight at my chest and the pen broke in my hands, spilling ink over my fingers. I was tired as it was, making me in no mood to deal with this.

"You either order something, or get the fuck out, you little pricks." I hissed under my breath so that the manager at the counter couldn't hear me.

"Oh-ho! Girlie's got a mouth, eh?" The one next to the window on the right smirked while leaning on the table. "You like a bit of dirty talk, do ya?" Slamming my hand down onto the table, I startled everyone in the cafe with the loud bang and clattering of the napkin dispenser.

"I suggest you order the sausage," I began, my voice cold and dripping with venom. "we _cut_ it up into little _pieces_ and _fry_ it with a bit of season. It's really nice when you're shoving it down your throats, so be sure you don't _choke_." I glared down my nose at them. Lifting my hand, my inky fingerprints remained on the menu I had slammed my palm onto before I stood up straight again. "So, what'll it be?"

"....I-I think we should go get some pizza. You guys in?"

"Y-yeah. Let's go." And the horny teenagers got up while leaving. Sighing with relief, I went on to the next table to refill their drinks.

Lumbering home after work, I tiredly rubbed my eyes while slipping my other hand into my pocket. I would have left earlier, but the manager kept me working for a few extra hours and it was daylight again already. Climbing up the steps to the door, I unlocked it and went inside.

"Annie, I'm home!" I called out. "How's George tod-" And I cut myself off when I realized she wasn't there. "Annie?" I tried again, but there was no reply and the ghost wasn't there. Shrugging, I carried myself upstairs before falling face first into bed and passing out.

~

Crashing down the stairs, I ran before sliding to a halt in the kitchen. I saw Annie bawling her eyes out and a man holding the baby in his arms.

"What the Hell is going on?" I spoke up, grabbing their attention as Annie looked so distraught.

"George is dead." The ghost cried. "He died while saving Eve because the vampires took her." And the woman burst into more sobbing as I fell to my knees. Just staring straight ahead, I tried to process fully what she had said, but I kept wondering how this all could have happened while I was at work. I left and everything was normal, but now, not even a day later, and everything was on it's head.

"Dear God...." I mumbled as my face fell into my hands.


	2. Ball of Sunshine

"Annie! I've got the bottle ready!" I called out while leaving the kitchen and racing upstairs. The baby wouldn't stop crying and we had tried everything so far to quiet her.

"Hurry, before she makes my dead eardrum's burst!" Annie wailed just as I entered the attic nursery. Testing the warmth of the bottle on my wrist again, I picked up Eve and began to feed her. And oh, dear Lord, it worked. She stopped crying while drinking from the bottle and Annie let out a huge sigh of relief.

Gently sitting down with the baby in my arms, I let my head fall back as I sighed. Babies were a rather difficult bunch to understand, you know, with their lacking of real communication and the inability to do anything other than cry, eat, sleep, and poop.

"Looks like someone else is finally home." Annie's voice went sharp as she crossed her arms. She Rentaghosted out and I was left alone with the child quietly drinking.

Since George had passed, Tom, the man I had seen in the kitchen, had moved in with us and helped pay bills after I got sacked from the cafe due to 'inappropriate behavior' towards customers. I apparently wasn't allowed to punch someone for smacking my ass as I walked by and got fired. Bullshit, if you ask me.

Now Tom was the breadwinner and Annie and I took care of the baby and the house. I had learned about how the werewolf had come from a father that raised him in the woods with vampire slaying skills, and he seemed like a rather sweet person as far as I knew. However....due to his upbringing, Annie had to make a list of rules for the house and she put a leash on his vampire killing tendencies.

The baby suddenly smacked the bottle from my hand and began to wail again. Clenching my jaw as I looked down at Eve, I raised my brows.

"Why must you be so difficult with me? You're so compliant with Annie." I picked up the bottle from the couch and tried to feed her again. Only a few minutes later, and she was passed out in my arms. Sighing through my nose, I carefully stood up and laid her down in the bed. Going back downstairs, I paused while seeing all of the people in the living room.

"Did I miss the party memo?" I questioned while raising a brow. They all looked to me and I was a little surprised from the woman being a ghost, the old man being a werewolf, and the posh looking dude was a vampire.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, dressed in rather dated clothes that told me about the time she had died.

"Naya. And you are?"

"You don't smell right." The vampire popped off.

"Yeah, well, happens when you get covered in baby vomit on a daily basis." I stated with a slight tone. "Annie, why are these people here?"

"They're here to see the Saviour." She replied, sitting up straight on the arm of the couch. Oh, no....

"And by _Saviour_ , you mean the baby I just got to finally go to sleep?"

"....Well, yes." She nodded, looking away while scratching the side of her head. "But this is Pearl, Leo, and Hal." Annie pointed to the people as she called off their names. The old man rose to shake my hand, smiling with kindness.

"A pleasure to meet you." He said as I accepted the handshake.

"Right back at ya." I nodded.

"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind my asking, but what....exactly....are you?" The vampire questioned as Leo sat back down.

"Adlet." I answered, stuffing my hands into my back pockets as I looked at the brunette.

"Excuse me?"

"Adlet. Um, native to North America, so you probably don't know about 'em."

"She's like a werewolf, but not a werewolf." Annie piped in. "They're a half canine, half human looking species." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. "They usually have dog bits, but Naya's grandma was a werewolf, so her dog bits are actually wolf bits!"

"Ah, yes, tune into Animal Planet with our host Annie." I popped off. "She'll tell you everything about me. The woman spent hours in the library, floating books around, because she didn't believe me until _recently_."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" She questioned. "I'd never heard of an Adlet before, and there's only Native American tales about your kind."

"Because that's who was around when we thrived." I said.

"Oh, and this is she." Annie waved her hand towards Tom as he walked in with Eve.

"She's so tiny!" Leo exclaimed as Tom sat her down in her carrier. "How can something so powerful be so tiny?" _'Sounds like my mom after I destroyed the house when I was teething....'_ I thought. "I'm not a young man any more. I'm ill and I'm useless. But I need more time. This can't happen yet." The old man explained before he went into a coughing fit.

"It's okay. Don't say anything, Leo, just breathe." Pearl pulled out a huge purse and dug out a little oxygen tank with a mask before putting it to Leo's mouth. The lights began to flicker on and off while the woman looked rather upset.

"What's happening?" Tom asked, looking at the lights.

"Will you help me?" Leo asked the baby.

"Annie?"

"It's Eve! Isn't it?" Annie furrowed her brows. "It's Eve. Don't you get it? Eve's saying yes." She went on. "Leo, Eve is saying yes. She will help you."

"....Some mystical shit going on...." I mumbled while backing out. "I'mma go....job hunting again, and if a demon is here when I get back, I'm salting the place."

"Demon? Salting?"

"I think it's an American thing." Annie whispered.

~

"So, how'd the search go?" Annie asked as I walked back into the house.

"Horrible." I groaned while flopping onto the couch, my face landing in the cushion.

"I'll make you a cup of tea." She nodded while rising to her feet. "You just try again tomorrow." Annie had a reassuring tone as she pat my shoulder. Sighing, I buried my face into the pillow cushion while grumbling. "Here you are." Annie said as she came back.

Sitting up, I crossed my legs and took the cup she handed me. She sat on the coffee table while crossing her legs as she looked at me.

"I wonder why it's so hard for you to get a job." Annie sighed. "I mean, I was a ghost, and I got a job at a pub for a little while."

"American." I stated while pointing at myself. "The accent sort of makes others automatically think I'm a total neanderthal."

"Well, you're not a _total_ neanderthal...."

"Hey!" I shot her a look over the tea. She was grinning at me and I shook my head while smiling. "Okay, you've got a point. Things are just pretty different here."

"That's what happens when two cultures collide." She chuckled. "Like how people drink tea cold where you're from and without milk."

"I just think you're insane for adding milk."

"And I think you're insane for not adding milk."

"Touche." I smirked while rising to my feet. "I'm going to my room, rest for a bit before I start on dinner."

"All right. I'll go check on Eve." Annie nodded before vanishing. Taking a sip from my tea, I left the living room and went to the stairs. Bumping into Tom as he was coming down, I managed to save my drink from spilling everywhere.

"Where are you headed to in such a hurry?" I asked while clearing my throat.

"To the shop." He replied, looking down at me while stuffing his hands into the oversized coat he got from his father. His old, stained shirt wasn't even buttoned right, but that's how it normally was. "Leo asked me to get something for him."

"Oh, okay." I nodded, brushing some of my hair behind my ear. "Well, you be careful, all right?"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks." He nodded while glancing away.

"Okay then, well, I'll, uh, just head on up to my room then." Clearing my throat again, I rubbed the back of my neck as Tom nodded and I walked around him to get to the stairs. Sighing as I went up, I smacked a hand onto my face. _'Smooth, Naya. Real smooth.'_ I mentally groaned.

~

Leo passed away, crossing over with Pearl after they confessed their love for each other and Hal moved in with us. Sitting on the couch beside the one Tom and Hal were seated at, I crossed my legs and glanced over my shoulder to Annie as she walked in.

"Right, um.... Sugar, no milk." She handed me one of the mugs of tea before she went to sit between the boys. "Milk, no sugar." She handed a red mug to Tom.

"Thank you very much."

"And black with a splash of water." She handed a striped mug to Hal while I blew on the hot tea. "I went for herbal. Kiwi and strawberry. It's been that sort of day." Annie awkwardly smiled. "You know, um, I was just thinking, if it wasn't for Eve, Leo wouldn't have come here, so he probably wouldn't have told Pearl how he felt, which means she wouldn't have been able to pass over."

"I suppose so." Hal mumbled.

"And, you know, she brought the four of us together. So she's been responsible for quite a few miraculous things, you know, even if she isn't the Saviour."

"I'm still hoping she is." Hal said softly with furrowed brows.

"What?"

"I want it to be true. I want her to kill us all." He stated, and Annie exchanged a look with Tom as I sipped from the warm mug in my hands. _'Well, he's certainly a big ball of sunshine.'_ I thought with heavy sarcasm. Glancing to Tom over my mug, I nearly choked since he looked right at me when I did.


	3. Baby Eve

"Let's go shoppin'." Tom said as he strapped the baby into her carrier on his chest. Under his coat was a bunch of stakes in case we ran into vampires and Annie was smirking at how ridiculous it had been to see Tom gearing up with all those pointed weapons and then a baby with a toy hanging at her side.

At the store, Tom and I grabbed a few things while Annie was kicking around a basket, getting the rest of what we needed. At the check-out, the clerk was immediately focused on the baby like it was her catnip.

"Eat you right up, couldn't I? Couldn't I?" She cooed and I rolled my eyes. _'Ah, another cannibal.'_ I thought while listening to the woman- Eve never failed in getting attention, but it seemed babies brought out the cannibal in people when they commented on eating the infant. "Aren't you just a darling? Aren't you?" Her eyes drifted up to Tom as she stood up all of the way. "Aren't you? I could just eat you up." The clerk's eyes were on Tom now instead of the baby and I crossed my arms.

When she finally began to scan the groceries, Tom began to bag them while Eve was out like a light with her pacifier in her mouth.

"So are you her mum?" The woman turned to me and I went bug-eyed.

"Oh, no. No, no, no." I waved my hands.

"No, she's dead." Tom stated while sticking the cans into a green bag.

"Oh! I'm so sorry." She said as Annie was sneaking past with a basket. "That's really brave of you bringing her up on your own. Really brave. Being a single dad." She was clearly flirting with Tom, but he seemed too thick to catch on to it, thankfully.

"No, I'm not her dad. He's dead and all." He told her honestly while Annie snuck a bag to put the contents of her basket into it.

"So what happened? Was it a car crash? Did you adopt her?"

"No, they were killed by some bad men, and my dad was as well, so we're looking after her." The look on the woman's face fell and I had to keep from laughing. The werewolf was brutally honest and the woman had no idea what to really say now, putting a damper on her flirting.

"That's....good of you."

"Well, she ain't got no one else and we're worried the bad men might come and kill her, but we're doing all right." Tom nodded.

"Well, that's something." She gave him and the baby a look before he pretended to drop a can.

"Oop, dear me!"

"Here, I'll get that." I said while picking up the can and stuffing it into the bag Annie had filled. I was already itching to get out of the store....

"Well, nice chattin' with ya. See ya later." Tom smiled at the clerk as we walked away.

"Can't believe that I'm a thief now. Common criminal." Annie stated. "I feel sick. Can I even be sick?"

"It's not stealing if it's a big shop, McNair said."

"I used to blush when I took a free sample. What's happened to me?"

"She needed food."

"Yes, I know she did. It's just....it feels so wrong."

"Hopefully, I'll find a job today." I sighed while rubbing the back of my head.

"Maybe." Tom shrugged as we left the store. "Maybe you should try looking in places other than cafes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, some people aren't very nice, and cafes let anyone in. Isn't that why you got fired from your old job?"

"So....try for places where I'm less likely to get into a fight? Is that what you're saying?"

"Sort of." He just shrugged again.

~

Walking into the cafe where Tom and Hal worked, I saw them sitting down at a table while no one else was was present.

"Hey, Hal, you're fancy with words, right? Help me with this application." I said while walking over and waving the paper in my hand. "This restaurant has a few openings." Plopping down next to the vampire, I glanced at the two males while pulling a pen from my pocket. "What?"

"Nothin'." Tom shook his head while looking out the window and Hal cleared his throat before helping me fill out the form. After completing the application, I thanked Hal and left as a blonde with bee striped tights walked in.

~

Walking into the house, I saw Annie, Hal, and Tom sat in the living room. Smirking, I went over and placed one of my boots onto the coffee table.

"Guess who got a job!"

"You, I would presume?" Hal raised his brows at me.

"And guess who got paid for their first day of work?"

"You did?" Tom questioned as I dug a wad of cash from my pocket.

"I did." I nodded while holding up the money. Annie grabbed the little jar Tom usually put tips into and I dropped the cash into it. "Restaurant hired me on as a chef."

"Hold on, you can actually cook?" Hal popped off.

"Yeah, she just doesn't do it often because of how tired she is when she gets home." Tom explained. "You know, because of her shifts or because she was out job hunting all day."

"Yes, now what did I say about boots on the coffee table?" Annie smacked my shoe with a rag.

"Oh, sorry!" I stepped down and took my shoe off as she set to work on cleaning the little table.

"And we have to talk." The ghost sighed before explaining to me what had happened that day. We moved to the dining area where the human skin parchment was so that Annie could tell us what she had heard from the vampire that had given it to her.

"She's just a baby, Annie." Tom stated. "This is all just a story."

"And what about the Old Ones?" Annie crossed her arms. "Is that just a story, too, hmm? What happens when they get here?"

"Let them come. We can take them." The werewolf replied while slouching in his chair with his arms dangling from his shoulders.

"You were the one who said we should just run."

"And you were the one saying there's no point."

"Well, I think we should run and go and live in a barn." Annie rose her voice. Hal gave her a look before speaking.

"A barn?"

"Or a caravan, or a tent, or something." She replied.

"You said we were strong here. You said we could face them." Tom stated.

"Well, I've changed my mind."

"I cannot sleep in a barn, or a tent, or a caravan, or anywhere without central heating, carpets, and Radio 4. And that should be on my list. Really, it should. You make me do that, I won't be responsible for my actions." Hal pointed.

"And what about the Old Ones?" I asked, crossing my arms as my brows furrowed.

"If the Old Ones are coming, then it is better that I am here to greet them."

"Greet them?" Annie gave Hal a look.

"I mean face them. Confront them."

"I-I ain't running. I'm going to fight 'em." Tom shook his head.

"Look, I just think we have enemies coming at us from every angle. First, the Old Ones and now, this Nemesis." The ghost waved her hand.

"Jesus, Annie!" Hal rose his voice before calming back down. "We've both had a really hard day at work and Naya is more than likely exhausted."

"Oh, and I'm not?"

"That's not what I meant. Look, I'm not sure what you were used to when George and...Tina were around, but-"

"Nina." I cut him off. "Her name was Nina."

"They were George, Nina, and Mitchell, and this was their home. And they were my friends. And they would have listened to me." Annie said with a rather cold tone.

~

"Have you ever worked in a kitchen before?" The man in front of me asked as we were walking past the people chopping vegetables and cooking. Fixing the buttons on my coat and rolling up the sleeves, I looked up to the back of his head.

"Uh, no, not really. Just fast-food, cafes, and a skating rink once." I replied.

"....And how did you get this job?" He looked over his shoulder at me with furrowed brows.

"Cooked a dish like the rest of 'em." I answered.

"Whatever. Just keep up and don't get in the way of the others." He stated. "If you can't handle the intensity and fast pace of this place, get out as soon as you can so that our order isn't ruined."

"Got it." I nodded.

"You worked in here yesterday, right?"

"Uh, right. Doing small stuff, though."

"Well, you'll be making dishes today. Get cooking."

~

"Uh, why do I smell blood?" I said as I walked into the house.

"Tom got hurt, patch him up, would you? We have got some things to sort out...." Annie's eyes drifted to the blond standing in the middle of the living room, pointing her camera at the vampires.

"Sure. Yeah. Got it- Um, why is....?" I trailed off while pointing to the human.

"Long story." Hal sighed as I took a seat next to Tom and opened the first-aid. The wound didn't look too deep to need stitches, but there was quiet a bit of blood that had to be cleaned first.

"Okay, so there's a ghost, two vampires, a werewolf, and....what are you, exactly? Another werewolf? His mate?" The human rose her brow while pointing between Tom and I. Choking on my own spit, I banged a fist on my chest while looking at her with wide eyes.

"No! No, no, no. I'm and Adlet and just a friend."

"The bloody Hell is an Adlet?" Her nose scrunched up as Tom was shifting in his seat. Annie was giving me a look, and I pretended not to notice it.

"Adlets are a very rare Northern American creature." The older looking vampire piped up while stepping towards me. "To see one this far out....amazing! Would you mind changing so that I could see it for myself?"

"Pass." I cleared my throat while wrapping up Tom's hand. Unable to really look at him, I felt as if my cheeks were heating up after the human had assumed we were mates. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed a suitcase. "Uh, why are Eve's clothes being packed up?"

"Annie was just about to get to that." Hal replied.

"House meeting. Yes, I would like a house meeting, please." The woman called. "A house meeting. Can you just...." She looked to the vampire behind the couch and gestured towards the human with her phone still up. He took her to the kitchen, leaving us to our house meeting.

"Are you going forever? Have we done something to upset you?" Tom asked, looking to Annie as she sat down. Finishing up with wrapping his hand, I stuffed the rest of the bandages back into the first-aid kit and closed it. "But we can protect her. All of us can."

"No, not all the time. What about when you're all working?" Annie asked before Hal walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"To change."

"But this is important."

"I have to change my clothes." The vampire stated. "It feels like I'm circling the drain of the world I've spent the past 55 years trying to avoid. The more I engage with this, the greater the danger of being sucked in. Look, I need some space, okay? To-to think. To breathe!" Hal shouted. "Sorry. I'm really very sorry." And he calmly walked to the stairs.

My nose twitched, causing my eyes to dart towards the kitchen. I could smell more vampires....

Suddenly, the older man was kicked through the swinging doors and a group of vampires funneled in while one had a knife to the human's throat. The crash alerted Hal, and he came back, jaw clenching when he saw what was in front of him.

"Good evening, my Lord. Apologies for the intrusion."

"Fergus, I don't remember asking you in." Hal pointed to the man with the stake in his hand.

"He was invited in a week ago, when he took Eve." Annie stated.

"It's amazing how these things stick." The vampire holding the blonde smirked. "And then I just invited some of my friends. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all." Hal shook his head. "But is there really any need for the knife?" He questioned as I was slipping out of my boots. "It's a little crude."

"Is that an order, my Lord? The offer's still on the table. There's a throne with your name on it, if you want." The man replied, not taking notice of how I was carefully taking my socks off without bending over.

"What's he talking about, Hal?" Tom asked.

"Oh, he didn't mention it, did he? Our Lord Harry is an Old One. At least, he was." Annie and Tom looked to Hal while I locked eyes with the blonde. Her brows furrowed at what I was doing and I gave a quick shake of my head to keep her quiet. "Pretty high up. You can be again, Hal. All you've got to do is let us kill the dogs. And you can come back in. All is forgiven."

"And the rest live?"

"I'll be honest with you, probably not." Fergus said honestly. "The fact that that baby's still alive is my secret weapon. My ace in the hole. Won't impress the Old Ones if it's still breathing. And what the bloody Hell are you doing?" His eyes then went to me, his brows furrowed in confusion as he caught me pushing my shoes and socks out of the way.

"Ever heard of an Adlet?" I asked.

"A what?"

"Perfect." I smirked, shifting in place as my feet turned to paws and fangs filled my jaws. The vampire tossed the woman to the side as I lept for his throat.

"Naya! Look out!" Someone shouted as I pinned Fergus down. Twisting around, I kicked back one of the vampires while digging my claw's into Fergus's neck. Tearing off his head, he turned to dust as I pounced on another vampire. I could hear the others fighting as well, and I assumed the blood I smelled was from the battle going on in the dining room.

"Michaela? Michaela, talk to me." And I looked over as the last vampire turned to dust. The human was under the table, bleeding from a cut in her throat.

~

"Who was she?" Annie asked as we sat at the table in the kitchen with tea.

"Just a silly little girl who walked into the wrong cafe. Who thought there was more to this world than she could see." Hal explained. "Who thought vampires were cool."

"And werewolves. She thought werewolves were cool and all." Tom added while fiddling with his mug.

"And werewolves." Hal nodded. My claws clicked on the floor as I shifted in my seat, and I was a bit too wired to transform back into my human looking self. My ear twitched when the double doors burst open and the vampire came in with the vacuum.

"Um, are you finished?" Annie asked.

"I think I missed a few bits of them under the sofa. The Adlet didn't kill very cleanly."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll get them later. Thank you very much." The ghost said as I ducked my head and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I still think you should come with me. It's not safe out there."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that I feel strong here. Stronger than I've ever felt. Right now, I feel like I could take on a whole army. You know, with Tom and Naya and Lord Harry by my side." Annie chuckled.

"Lord Harry!" Tom mocked while laughing as well.

"Don't." Hal said firmly, lowering his mug of tea. "Seriously, don't." We were all chuckling now.

"Lord Harry!" Annie whispered, getting a kick out of it.

"By the way, you don't look much like the Adlets I've seen in books. Were the depictions wrong?" The vampire wearing the _'Team Edward'_ t-shit asked.

"Uh, no, I'm just a bit weird."

"Naya's grandmother was a werewolf and her father was human. The genetics passed on from those two sort of made her a bit different." Hal explained.

"And you're mother was this way as well?"

"No, she was a regular Adlet, only the dog bits were wolf." I replied.

"Interesting." He placed his hands onto his hips while looking me up and down. "And the transformation happens upon will?"

"It's like the opposite of a werewolf, innit?" Tom piped up. "Full control, and it doesn't have to be a full moon, either."

~

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry for the way things went." Hal said as we were in the living room. The _'Team Edward'_ vampire had turned the formerly dead human, and they were standing in front of a suitcase about to leave.

"What are you talking about? I've got everything I've ever wanted. I mean, I'm going to live forever. Reborn into this dark infinity with crimson fuel and eyes of ebony." She said rather dramatically while moving her hands about.

"Have you heard her poetry? Really good. It nearly rhymes and everything."

"I think people might listen to them now, somehow. It's just, I really like the idea of my work being the final thing they hear. It could be so beautiful."

"When you stop thinking that, and you will, remember I'm sorry." Hal apologized again.

"You're not very good at being a vampire, are you?"

"I try not to be."

"Ignore him. He's never happy unless he's miserable."

"And what will you do now?" Annie asked.

"Keep moving. See the world. Try not to end up in a hoover bag." The man replied as Annie handed the blonde a stake.

"....Thank you."

"It's for him. Just in case."

"But he is my maker, my creator, the granter of this dark gift. We're going to make poetry of our own. Skin will be our parchment, blood will be our ink."

"Yeah. And then we're going to have sex." They both grinned and I mentally shuddered. _'Vampires....'_

~

"Hello, Annie." I said rather awkwardly after the ghost had stopped me in the hallway. One hand was on her hip while the other was on the wall and she rose her eyebrows at me.

"When were you planning on telling me, hmm?"

"Uh....telling you what?"

"When were you planning on telling me that you like Tom?" She pointed an accusing finger at me before I burst into nervous laughter and glanced around.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes, you do! I've been seeing those looks since he showed up, I thought it was because of the canine in the both of you, but I know better now. You _like_ him!"

"Well, yeah, he's a very good friend."

"No, I mean like-like. You _really_ like him."

"You don't know what you're talking about." I waved my hand.

"Oh, yes I do. Look at all the nervous fidgeting you're doing right now." I quickly shoved my hands into my pockets while looking away. My cheeks felt hot as Annie was smiling and pointing at me. "Oh, my God! You have to tell him!"

"What? No! I can't!"

"So you admit liking him?"

"....Maybe." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Why are you acting so shy? Where's the spunk?"

"Because, Annie, I _really_ really like him." I said lowly. "Like, ' _I don't want to screw this up and make things awkward_ ' kind of like him."

"Awe, you're acting like a schoolgirl. You won't make things awkward, Tom's sweet and I'm pretty sure he likes you, too."

"'Pretty sure' is only one step away from ruining everything and even losing our friendship." I stated, and Annie crossed her arms.

"Okay, how about this-" She took in a deep breath while looking at me. "I find out how he feels about you, and we'll go from there. That work?"

"It feels like we're children." I sighed while pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Oh, hush. This will be perfect!"

~

"Annie! I'm back from work. I'm pretty sure there's lettuce in my hair, too....one of the waiter's got upset with a cook and was throwing vegetables." Locking the door behind me, I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on a hook by the entrance. "Annie?" I called again, noticing how quiet the house was. Rounding the corner, I saw Tom standing there in his cleanest clothes and the table behind him was set up like a fancy dinner with even candles. " _Annie!_ " I called again, my cheeks feeling warm as the werewolf rubbed the back of his head.

"She's tendin' to baby Eve, hope you don't mind." Tom said calmly while shifting on his feet. Clearing his throat, he kept his gaze on the floor in front of him. "Naya, would you like to eat with me?" He waved his hand to the table behind him.

"Um....sure. Yes. Of course." I cleared my throat, hardly believing this was happening. ' _Damn it, Annie, I thought you weren't going to do this....'_


	4. 'Happy Birthday'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk*

"And this is Naya's room." Annie said as she suddenly opened my door. Looking up from the floor, I had a book open in front of me and a cracker hanging out of my mouth. The man beside her paused, looking me up and down.

"P-paws." He turned to Annie, pointing to my feet.

"Are you eating crackers over the carpet again?" Annie gave me a look while using her 'motherly' voice.

"No." I clearly lied while swallowing what was in my mouth and sliding the box behind my back.

"Just....just vacuum when you're done."

"Claws?"

"Ah, yes, if you remember, Naya is an Adlet. That's _sort of_ what they look like in their true form." Annie explained. "Next stop, nursery."

"Right." The man in the powder blue coat nodded before they left. Not but a few minutes later, they were back.

"Naya, mind going with Tom to get a few things for the nursery?"

"Nah, just let me change. I'll be there in a sec." I replied while getting to my feet and dusting the cracker crumbs off of my shirt. Annie closed the door behind her as I shifted back to looking fully human and grabbed my shoes and a different shirt not stained by food.

Heading down the stairs, I saw the werewolf waiting at the door.

"You ready?" Tom asked. Nodding, I fixed my jacket on my shoulders. "We've got to grab a chest of drawers and pink stuff for Eve."

"....The Hell is a chest of drawers?" My nose scrunched up and Tom looked at me with slight confusion.

"You don't know what a chest of drawers is?"

"Not a clue."

"Come on, I'll show ya." He jerked his head towards the door, gesturing for us to leave. I followed him out and we sort of got distracted on the way there by some furniture down the road. Tom ended up dragging out a green, wooden and metal chest with some paint chipped off. "What do ya think of this?"

"Good eye." I smirked while opening it up. Inside was rather spacious, so it could honestly be used for anything Eve needed. Could put toys and blankets in it, or put it on its end and build shelves in it for clothes or something. "Smells kinda weird, but nothing a good clean can't fix." I smiled up at Tom and he was grinning from ear to ear. "Let's take it back home."

Grabbing one of the handles, Tom grabbed the other and we carried it back to the old B&B. Bringing it inside, Annie and the other ghost were coming down the stairs and we set the chest down.

"Found it in the skip down the road. Good, innit?"

"Oh, my God!"

"What? Just needs a bit of a touch-up, that's all."

"Tom....do you honestly think that that is suitable?"

"You told me to get a chest of drawers."

"Not from a skip!" Annie said with irritation. Why was she so upset? "And besides, it's not even a chest of drawers-"

"All right, don't get so-"

"So what? Twisted?"

"Eh?"

"Naya, you honestly thought it was okay to let him bring this home?" Annie then turned to me.

"Well, yeah. I mean, back home we'd grab stuff from the curb all the time."

"What?"

"Yeah. If you had, like, a TV stand you didn't want anymore and were too lazy to sell, you'd just leave it with the trash and somebody else would pull up and take it after a good clean." Putting my hands into my pockets, I raised my shoulders. "Anything not totally irreparable was another man's treasure, but not couches or anything like that. You risked getting bed bugs or something with couches. But shelves, tables, and the sort were fair game."

"Oh, my God!" And Annie rubbed her temples.

"Let's take it outside, Tom." The other ghost came off the steps. "Come on, I'll give you a hand."

"No, you're all right, I can do it." Tom grabbed one end and began to drag it towards the kitchen to take it out back. Sighing, I glanced to Annie and saw her looking to the other ghost before I went to help Tom by grabbing the other handle so that it wouldn't scrape up the floor.

Tom maneuvered so that he could open the back door and we took the chest into the backyard. Setting it down, Tom seemed pretty crestfallen that his idea for the old thing was rejected, and I still couldn't figure out why Annie had been so angry. Usually, she'd just sigh or shoo at Tom whenever he brought mud or trash into the house.

Grabbing the werewolf's hand, I leaned on his arm before speaking.

"Well, I thought it was nifty. Maybe we can clean it up and stuff and show it to Annie, see how she feels about it then?"

"I don't know." Tom mumbled, pouting while looking down at the paint chipped chest.

"Hey, maybe she's just stressed about everything and that's why she got angry." I suggested while looking up at him. After that dinner the ghost had set up for Tom and I, we had become an actual couple, so the affection I was showing him didn't put him on edge now. (Though, it had in the beginning since he wasn't used to it.) He was okay with holding hands and kissing, but we'd never actually taken our clothes off since he was still so if-y on the whole sex thing. Either way, no matter how much I was ready for it, he wasn't and I was okay with that. It'd take time. _'Wait....time.... What time is it?!'_ Checking my watch, I huffed.

"I gotta get to work. You stay out of trouble, okay?" I told Tom while getting on my tip-toes to kiss his cheek.

"Okay." He mumbled, still pouting as I walked back through the house to grab a few things and get to work.

~

I was exhausted after work since cooking dishes over rather hot flames while being shouted at had taken it's toll. Tiredly lumbering through the house, I kicked my shoes off in my room and shifted to become more comfortable. Laying in bed, I tried to roll around to find the right spot, but nothing was working.

I was physically and mentally tired- I knew I needed sleep, but it just wasn't coming. Groaning, I snatched up my pillow and went into the hall.

"Naya? When'd you get home?"

"Few hours ago." I grumbled, my eyes only half-way open as the ghost in the powder blue coat looked at me.

"Oh, dear! Look at you, why aren't you in bed?"

"Gettin' there." I barely lifted my pillow at my side as my tail swayed. Walking around the guy, I padded down the hall and went into Tom's room. Closing the door behind me, I heard the blankets rustling.

"Can't sleep?" The werewolf barely spoke above a whisper, sounding as if I had woken him.

"Yeah." I groaned, dropping my pillow onto the bed as Tom scooted over and let me under the blanket.

"Come on, then." He muttered, waiting as I curled up and got comfortable. Burying my face into his chest, his scent was like an insta-calm bonus as he draped an arm over my side.

"Night." I closed my eyes while sighing.

"Night."

In the morning, Tom and I had somehow switched side's of the bed as we were sprawled out and tangled in the blankets. Waking up as the man was twisting around and stretching out his arms, I yawned before stretching out my limbs like a dog. Sitting up in bed next to Tom, I scratched the back of my head while trying to open my eyes fully.

"Mornin'." I mumbled.

"Mornin'." Tom replied with a rather large smile. Ah, yes. The face of an angel was always the perfect thing to wake up to.

"Good dream? You're rather chipper." I asked while swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

"Just in a good mood, I guess." Tom shrugged as I rose to my feet. Raising a brow at him, I leaned my hands onto the mattress and kissed his cheek.

"All right, then. Let's get some breakfast and brush our teeth, I've got major wolf breath." I popped off. Tom nodded, picking up a shirt from off of the floor as I headed down to the kitchen. Getting some coffee Annie had already brewed, I grabbed a couple of bowls and made some cereal for us. Hal was reading the paper on the Box Tunnel murderer while Annie was feeding the baby with the other ghost I had yet to remember the name to.

After breakfast and getting ready for the day, Tom had gone out and I went to the backyard with a little bottle of paint. The werewolf had already cleaned up the chest, so I was going to go over the paint to cover up where it was chipping and missing from.

~

"Hey, Kirby, you seen Tom?" I asked the ghost as I was washing paint from my hands.

"No, he's still gone." The man shrugged while walking past. He stopped as I turned off the water and was drying off my hands. The man took a few steps back, leaning on the counter while looking at me. "But, um, he did say a few things that have me a bit concerned." He sort of cringed as I rose a brow.

"Like what?"

"It's just that.... Oh, I don't know...." Kirby sighed while waving his hand.

"Kirby?" My voice was firm as I placed my hands onto the counter.

"Well, Tom seemed rather distraught before he left, so I asked him what was wrong. Apparently, the poor boy, he doesn't know how to handle....well....to put it simply, you." My brows furrowed at his words. "He thought he was in love, but it was just his wolf that was interested in you. He hasn't a clue on how to tell you, and he doesn't want to break your heart." Resting my chin in my palm as I looked at Kirby, I rose a brow.

"So this is the type of person you are, hmm?" He seemed confused at my words. "Tom is an honest man, so he's already told me his fears about something like that. He made sure his feelings were true and not just because of his wolf before we even held hands." Tilting my head to the side, I pointed at Kirby. "If you want to twist things and drive a wedge between people, you should have thought of a better way to do it."

"Excuse me, but that's what he said." Kirby shifted on his feet.

"You're lying." I smirked. "You're good at it, but not _that_ good. You get this twitch of a smile whenever you lie, you know, and you could miss it if you just blinked."

"....What are you going to do about it, then?"

"Probably give Annie a sort of heads up, keep my eye on you until you're out on your ass."

"Even if Tom ran out and is probably getting drunker than a fool right now?"

"What?" I paused.

"Yeah." Kirby smirked. "There was a little scuffle upstairs a bit ago, you probably missed it since you were outside, but Tom's run out. He was _so_ very upset with some of the things I told him that he so easily believed. Oops! Shame on me." He chuckled while covering his mouth. "Even Hal's going to be sent out when I'm done, and the dog's already gone and probably getting drug off to the pound as we speak. Isn't that the perfect birthday gift?"

"Birthday....?" I mumbled while being confused, then it clicked as I stood up all of the way and remembered that little picture on Tom's wall and his rather happy mood. Snarling at Kirby, I felt my teeth sharpening. "You bastard, I'm going to rip out your tongue! What did you tell Tom?!" I then shouted while leaping over the counter as I shifted and tackled Kirby.

"Annie! Annie, help! She'd gone mad!" He screeched at the top of his lungs. Within a heartbeat, the woman was there and using her abilities to get me off of Kirby as he was acting completely frightened.

"Naya!" Annie shouted with shock.

"Move, Annie, I'm going to rip his throat to shreds!" I bared my fangs while glaring at the man smirking behind Annie.

"Naya, I think you need to go for a walk and calm down." Annie crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes held clear disappointment. Growling at Kirby, I stomped out while shifting back and hurried out of the house to find Tom. A drunk werewolf was never a pleasant sight, so I could only imagine what it was like if super vampire slaying skills were added into the mix if he happened to get into a drunken fight.

Following his scent through town, I paled while looking up at the police station. _'Dear god, what did you do?'_ I thought while gulping. Opening the door, I walked in, going rather unnoticed as I went to where Tom was. Feeling a bit surprised when I found him in a hallway rather than a cell, I grinned from ear to ear and launched at him.

The werewolf nearly fell if he hadn't caught his footing as I latched onto him and buried my face into the side of his neck.

"What the Hell are you doing here? What happened?" I asked as he chuckled and pat my back.

"Oh, don't worry, love. He just got into a little fight, nothing more." A man said from behind and I looked over my shoulder to see a vampire. Narrowing my eyes at him, I was about to bare my teeth, but stopped when Tom spoke up.

"It's okay- he got me out." Turning back to Tom, I frowned before pinching his cheeks. "Ow!"

"So you got into a fight and got arrested?!"

"Ow, Naya!" Tom was trying to pull my hands away from his cheeks as he was cringing. "It was a vampire, he was going to kill some lady!"

"Yeah, but you still beat the bloody snot out of him." The vampire behind me popped off. Letting Tom's cheeks go, I hopped back onto the floor and placed my hands onto my hips.

"Annie's not going to be very-" And I cut myself off. "Annie! Tom, we gotta get Annie." Grabbing his wrist I drug him out of the police station.

On the way home, we found Hal in his car down the street. Tom went up from the side and knocked on the window before resting his hands onto his knees.

"What you doing?" Tom had startled Hal, but the vampire said nothing. "I'm sorry about going mental before." Hal seemed to think about something for a few seconds before he rolled down the window. "Did you know it was my birthday today?"

"Why didn't you say?"

"I thought you knew." There was a brief look of confusion on Tom's face.

"People won't know unless you tell them." I popped off, and Tom got a look of realization.

"Kirby."

~

"Annie!" Tom called as we entered the house. Silence answered, and we all exchanged a glance.

"Kirby." Hal stated and we bolted through the house to find him. Going to the attic to check on the baby, we found Kirby sitting at the drum set behind the door.

"Where's Annie?"

"Ooh, that's a really _deep_ question you're asking there." Kirby chuckled.

"You've killed her."

"Well, she was already dead, so not literally, but...." He tapped his chin before doing a little drum roll. "Yes!"

"No."

"Why are you here, Kirby?"

"I don't really want to answer that question because it'll get all Scooby Doo." Clenching my hands into fists, I just wanted to punch him very badly, but he wouldn't be able to feel it. "Do you mind if I tell you after I've finished?"

"You want to kill the baby?" Tom asked after looking over his shoulder to the crib. Kirby made a face while slightly shrugging. "Why?"

"'Cause I was told to. That were the whole bloody mission. I was sent here to kill her, and if I could do that, then I could stay. Oh! Now I've started explaining it all!" His voice rose in pitch as he held his face.

"You'll have to get through me first." Tom shifted on his feet.

"Yes. One problem, little man. The baby's not in the cot." Kirby hit some of the drums before vanishing. Running downstairs, we found him in the living room, the baby laying on the couch as Kirby had a knife. "Move! I dare you! I double dare you. There's nothing you can do." He wagged his finger while holding the knife over the baby. "You can watch her die, or you can leave. Either way, she's going to die. Ah, and don't even think about shifting." His eyes focused on me. "I know how fast you can be, but I'll kill the baby as soon as I see fur sprouting."

"I bet you're kicking yourselves, aren't you?" The man in the powder blue coat grinned after the lights flickered. "Wondering how on Earth you didn't recognize me." We just blankly looked at him and he rolled his eyes. "For fuck's sake! _The Toy Man!_ " We shook our heads, not having a clue who he was. "I killed five women. The little sod whose ball I was getting when I got run over, his mum was going to be number six. And then, well, who knows how many I would have killed. I would have been up there with the greats! There would have been a waxwork of me at Madame Tussaud's." He stated while taking a pose with his knife.

"There'd be theories, copycats! Terrible films!" He shouted. "Really? Nothing?" My eyes wandered to Eve, seeing that she was calmly laying there while looking at the ceiling. "Okay, yeah, fine. Fine. Jesus! Forget it. Where was I? Oh, yes. Sorry, Eve, it's time to go, love." Kirby sat on the back of the couch. "This won't hurt....much." He laughed before the lights went out. "You want to get that looked at." He stated as we were glancing around.

Suddenly, Annie was there, glowing a bright blue as she grabbed Kirby's head and yanked him off of the couch. He dropped the knife as he was screaming out while Annie was still holding the sides of his head. He turned blue like her, but it looked as if he was melting before he turned to a ball of smoke and popped like a balloon. Annie looked over her shoulder and I saw how blue her eyes were before she turned back to Eve. The baby was asleep now, and the lights came back on as Annie looked normal again and picked up the baby.

"Is it me, or do I have the worst taste in men ever?" Annie asked, her eyes back to their regular color as she cradled Eve. Hal just chuckled while I felt a wave of relief now that the baby was fine.

~

"Tom, Hal! Help! Help!" Annie shouted as I quickly brought the cake out of the kitchen. The candles were already lit as I heard pounding footsteps coming down the stairs, and I stood beside Annie as the boys slid to a halt in front of us.

"~Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!~" Annie and I began to sing as a huge smile broke out on Tom's face. His expression was absolutely heartwarming and I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"Come on, Hal." Annie said.

"I don't sing." The vampire stated with a quick shake of his head.

"~Happy birthday, dear Tom,~" Annie gave him a look. "~Happy birthday to you!~"

"Happy birthday, Tom." Hal smiled.

"Wicked." Tom softly laughed.

"Now, you blow out the candles." I told him while holding up the candy covered cake.

"Huh?"

"You blow them out, make a wish. Oh, but don't say it out loud, just think it in your head." I added and he nodded. Taking a second, he took in a deep breath before blowing out all of the candles but one. He then blew out that one as well and I glanced around. "Oh, I forgot the plates."

"I'll get 'em, I'll get 'em." Tom hurried off to the kitchen as I smiled. Turning around, I placed the cake onto the bar. Annie and Hal went off to the side, speaking lowly, and judging from the look on Annie's face, she's was apologizing for kicking Hal out earlier. The ghost even hugged Hal, making him tense and awkwardly pat her shoulders. Chuckling to myself, I then glanced to the kitchen and saw Tom gathering plates with such a joyful look on his face.

I think I owed Annie a lot for tossing me into the deep end with Tom because I certainly never would have gotten the courage to tell him how I felt on my own.... I may be brave, but when it came to that sweet werewolf I was pretty much Jell-o.

After eating the cake and having a good time with everyone, Tom was like a kid in a candy store with how happy he was. Going to bed later that night, I noticed how all of the pictures on Tom's wall were a bit different.

"Did you rearrange them?" I asked him while tossing my pillow onto the bed.

"Uh, no...." He replied. "I was....upset earlier and tore them down." Looking at him, he had a bit of sadness in his eyes while staring at the wall. "Hal put them back up for me, though."

"Well, you hopefully won't do that again, will you?" I asked while crawling onto the bed.

"Hope not." He mumbled while sitting onto the edge of the bed. Smiling as I swung my leg over and sat in his lap, I gently placed my hands onto his cheeks.

"Happy birthday, Tom." I said softly before kissing him. "I hope the next one isn't screwed up like this one." He looked at me as I rubbed my thumb over his cheek.

"No, this was a great birthday!" Tom shook his head. "I had my friends with me and I got a cake with candles like in the picture."

"You're too sweet." I chuckled while putting my forehead to his- a common gesture of affection between us. The werewolf's expression changed as he looked away while biting his lip. "What's wrong?" Furrowing my brows, I tilted my head while trying to read his face.

"I....I think I might be ready." He mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you?" I was slightly confused at first, but it was like a light bulb appeared when he briefly glanced at me. 

"You mean...." He nodded, his cheeks tinted pink and without even saying another word, I pulled off my shirt and tossed it over my shoulder, giving Tom an answer to his question as he quickly looked away.

There was a heavy blush on his cheeks that was spreading as he avoided looking at me and I tilted my head while speaking softly.

"Tom, it's okay. We can take it as slow as you like, just tell me if you want to stop."

"No, no, it's fine." He swallowed before slowly turning back to face me. Tom's eyes wandered down to my bare chest and it was like his face exploded with how red it was turning.

"We'll start off simple, okay?" I said lowly while grabbing his hands and placing them on my breasts. His palms were incredibly warm on my skin, and I took in a sharp breath when he began to move his hands on his own.

"They're soft." He mumbled while brushing his thumbs across my nipples. Biting my bottom lip, I could feel something getting hard underneath me as Tom played with my chest with some curiosity in his eyes. "M-my pants are getting tight." Tom said, looking rather embarrassed and I chuckled.

"That's fine." I told him while trailing my fingers down his torso. Unbuttoning his pants, he unintentionally squeezed my breasts and I gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did that hurt?" He quickly asked while taking his hands off of me.

"No, it felt nice." I said while putting his hands back onto my chest. "I'd punch you if it hurt."

"O-okay, then...." And he began to squeeze his hands more since I had said I liked it. My cheeks felt like they were on fire as heat was pooling between my legs. I had been wanting this for ages, and now Tom had finally made up his mind about sex.

Licking my lips, I unzipped his pants as his hands began to wander over my exposed skin. His curiosity had grown and he wanted to feel more than just my breasts. Shifting in place, I got off of his lap and kissed him while pulling his pants down. Shoving them off the side of the bed, Tom hesitantly reached out to slide my shorts down my thighs.

He was rather timid, but he was trying at least. Wiggling out of my underwear, his face seemed to get a darker shade of red now that I was fully naked. The tent in his underwear was making the fabric go taught over his crotch, and I smirked while sitting in his lap again. Gently touching his cheek, I looked into his eyes.

"We can still stop if you want, just say so." I spoke softly, but he shook his head.

"No, I want to do this." Nodding, I reached down and slipped my fingers into the waistband of his underwear. Leaning forward, I began to place gentle kisses along his jaw and down the side of his neck. He seemed to like it from how he gripped my thighs and swallowed- not to mention how I was practically suffocating on the scent of his arousal.

Wrapping my fingers around his cock, Tom jolted as he took in a sharp breath. Licking my lips again, I then nipped at his neck while pulling his dick out. It was hot and thick in my palm, and I could feel his heavy pulse while rubbing my thumb over the bottom of his shaft. Tom's breath hitched as his grip on my thighs tightened even more and a smirk pulled at the corners of my mouth.

Tom was clearly liking how I was touching him, but he had yet to actually vocalize anything. Using my free hand to lay him down, I straddled his legs while grinding my hips into his, coating his erection in the slick already starting to drip from between my thighs. He covered his mouth to muffle the moan coming from his throat, but I pulled his hand away while holding it against the bed.

His expression was such a turn-on and I felt incredibly hot while rubbing up against him. Tom's scent was beginning to drive me mad, and his hard cock beneath me was throbbing with his pulse. Fuck, he was perfect with those lust filled eyes and pleasure twisted face, but I wanted him moaning my name and begging for release. ....I always did have a bit of a dominant personality.

Rising my hips, I reached down and guided the tip of his penis to my entrance. Slowing lowering myself down, I gave a quiet moan from his size stretching me. Tom's hands turned to fists as he was panting, his eyes locked onto my face as he was now inside of me. Kissing the werewolf again, I began to ride him as the bed creaked.

"Naya~!" Tom groaned as his hips bucked up. Moaning from the sudden thrust, I felt my teeth sharpening. God, he smelt so good, and the muscles he had toned from those years of fighting and training where shaking and tensing as he laid underneath me. The poor lad looked so lost as I placed my hands onto his chest.

"Fuck~!" I moaned and suddenly Tom was flipping me over, switching our positions as he was snapping his hips into me, making me moan even more. He pinned my hands above my head as he was thrusting his cock in and out of me with such force that the wood on the bed was creaking even louder. Tom was giving in to his instincts as he was licking and nipping at the side of my neck, causing my body to shudder and writhe beneath him.

My back was arching off of the mattress as my head lolled back, moans spilling from my mouth as Tom was grunting and groaning while rocking the bed. I had thought he'd finish quickly with how he was a virgin, but he was still going as I was close to screaming. Not wanting the others in the house to hear, Tom slid his tongue into my mouth, devouring my moans as he kissed me.


	5. Yvonne Bradshaw

"Nina, George, anyone in?" A voice called after a series of knocking and ringing the doorbell. "Mitchell, Annie?" Raising a brow as I looked over the back of the couch, I saw Hal opening the door. "I am chika-chika back! And I've brought with me one sexy motherf- Ah!" I heard a quiet smack. "Can someone please let me in?"

"Go on, it's fine. Let him in." Annie said loudly enough for Hal to hear as he reached for the lock on the other door.

"Who the Hell are you?" A boy said as Hal opened the door.

"Who the bloody Hell are you?" Hal asked while wearing a pair of yellow, rubber gloves.

"For goodness' sake, Adam!" An older woman followed the boy into the living room as they were toting in luggage. "Yvonne Bradshaw. Apologies for the intrusion." The posh looking woman said, but my attention was caught by Tom standing there in nothing but his boxer briefs that were tight on his thighs. He had probably just come up from the basement since last night was a full moon. "Bit of bother." The woman smiled while taking off her hat and holding out a hand to Hal.

"Marigolds. Sorry." Hal raised his hands after seeing the gloves still on his hands.

"Right you are." She nodded before looking over to Tom and Annie. "Put some clothes on, man, this isn't _The Jungle Book!_ "

"Oh, yes. Sorry." Tom quickly left the living room as I watched, eyes glued to the camo fabric on his butt.

"Yvonne Bradshaw. How do you do?" The woman smiled while shaking Annie's hand and my brows furrowed as my attention as finally on the newcomers. The woman didn't smell like a vampire, werewolf, or Adlet, and she was clearly not a ghost either....

"Adam, your friend can see me...."

"Should I not? A baby, how lovely. Is this the father?" She then turned to Hal, gesturing with her hat.

"No."

"No. No, no, definitely not, no." Annie shook her head while cradling Eve.

"The naked fellow, then?" She asked.

"No." I quickly said.

"It's complicated."

"Ah, yes. Adam warned me you were different. But never let it be said that Yvonne Bradshaw isn't open-minded." The woman said while walking back towards the couch and I looked up at her. "Our head of French is a member of Amnesty, so I know the drill." Annie nodded while sitting at the bar.

"So where's George and the others?" The young vampire asked while looking around.

"I'm afraid they died." Hal said lowly.

"Oh, Annie, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"No. No, not really." The ghost replied while fiddling with Eve's blanket. "Um, but thank you. Thanks."

"Adam, would you like us to go?" The woman gently touched the boy's arm. "Regardless of what is waiting for us out there, we can go if you prefer." Adam shook his head as Yvonne smiled. "Brave soldier." She then turned to the rest of us. "Now, sorry for imposing on you all like this and apologies too for the other trouble that's bound to follow."

"What trouble?" Hal's brows furrowed.

"You, dear. Men, dear."

"Very sorry about that." Tom came walking in with an apologetic smile. "Tom McNair, nice to meet you." He held out his hand in a friendly gesture, and the woman took it.

"Yvonne Bradshaw." She replied, and Tom's expression changed to a rather blank look on his face as he kept shaking her hand.

"All right, Littlest Hobo, drop." Adam pointed, and Tom let the woman's hand go. Raising a brow at him, I wondered what the change in his mood had come from. I mean, it was so sudden and out of no where as he was still staring at Yvonne.

"What can we do for you, Yvonne?" Hal questioned.

"Straight to the point, very good. Uh, I believe, in modern parlance, one might say we are on the run."

"On the lam, huh?" I spoke up while putting my knees on the couch cushion and leaning on the back.

"Um, I don't believe I see any lambs around." Yvonne said with slight confusion while looking around.

"It's a slang term for 'on the run'." Hal stated. "Naya is American. I know, the language and culture differences may shock you a bit, but you can just ignore most of it."

"Says the posh man from the age of dinosaurs." I popped off while flipping Hal the bird.

"Lovely." He muttered as Yvonne shifted on her feet at the sight of my behavior.

"Why are you guys running? What have you done?" Annie asked, bringing things back to topic.

"Her." The boy pointed to the older woman and I glanced between the two.

"Adam."

"All right, sorry, miss." He dropped his hand and stood straight.

"Adam and I are in love." Annie cracked up laughing at Yvonne's words.

"You're in...love?" Her face fell while seeing the woman's serious expression.

"Mm-hm. Like, I see you, baby," Adam pointed to Annie. "and I see the fox," His eyes drifted to me. "and there's nothing going on down there." He then began to stack his hands over his crotch before waving them. "What do you think of that?" The boy pointed to his head after the vulgar hand gestures.

"I'd rather not." Annie cringed.

"I know what you're thinking. I know what you're all thinking." Adam said after resting his chin on the woman's shoulder. "What could a super-fox like that see in this?" He pointed to Yvonne and then himself with his thumbs.

"A spider monkey?" I asked as my brows furrowed.

"Answer." The boy told Yvonne.

"Perseverance."

"Stuck at it. Stuck at it. And believe me, I'd stick it-"

"Adam Jacobs! There is a staircase in the hallway, and on that staircase there will be a naughty step. Do I make myself clear?"

"Naughty step?" I whispered to Annie with a look of utter confusion.

"Time-out." She replied.

"Yeah. Yeah, and I'm sorry. Sorry, miss."

"He can be rather boisterous. But rather adorable, too." Yvonne awkwardly smiled. "I have to admit, I was less than impressed at first. You see, I get so much unwanted attention. Single, married, engaged, I don't get a moment's peace." She explained, and I noticed Tom was still staring.

"Really?"

"They calm down eventually. But it can be damn tiresome. Last parents' evening, the police had to be called."

"And that Brad Pitt guy, he was all over you like a rash, wasn't he? Tell them." Adam gestured.

"He was filming in the school chapel. We were introduced, and....well, all I can say is he has a lovely trailer. Oh, and surprisingly small hands. But what impressed me about Adam was his level of application. I'm well aware he's in the first flush of youth and I'm...."

"Approaching your prime."

"But don't be fooled by everything he says and does. He's mature beyond his years." Yvonne added.

"She doesn't know what you are, does she?" Annie said lowly.

"My point is, I do. Age is merely a number. And what matters lies in the heart. Sadly, the press didn't see it that way, and the headlines have been positively purple." _'....Purple? Wait, judging from that look, that probably means bad rather than the color.'_ I thought.

"Yeah, _'Sordid Schoolmistress Seduces Student.'_ "

"If one of my girls had used sloppy alliteration like that in an essay, I'd be speaking to the parents."

" _'Oi, teacher, leave that kid alone.'_ "

"Technically inaccurate, as I was never actually his teacher."

" _'Likes the Virgin.'_ " Adam piped up again. "Again, inaccurate, because I am a legendary swordsman." Annie cringed.

"I wanted to stand our ground. Answer their blasted questions, pose for a couple of pictures, and donate the check to a dog shelter." Yvonne smiled. "But Adam came over all camera shy."

"Ah, funny that." Annie popped off.

"And now you're on the run." Hal raised his eyebrows.

"We were, but it's cool, thanks to my maneuvers and shit. It's fine." Adam answered.

"Why is there people outside with cameras and microphones?" Tom finally moved from his spot and went over to the window.

"Tom, shut the curtains. Tom, shut the bloody curtains. Jesus! Tell me you didn't lead the press to our door." Hal got that look of irritation in his eyes.

"No. Well, they might not be anything to do with us." Adam pointed at the windows as there was knocking and the doorbell ringing.

"Adam, come on, I know you're in there." A voice came from the front door.

"Might be a different Adam."

"Adam Jacobs. No point in hiding, mate."

"Karking Hell!" Adam's hand dropped at his side. "How did they find us?"

"That is your car parked outside, isn't it?" The guy outside called. "Hey, Adam, I heard she tied you down with her sports bra."

"This is too much." Yvonne shook her head. "It's one thing harassing us, quite another to inconveniencing you. Besides, I will not tolerate grubby talk in the presence of an infant. Come on, Adam, we're going out there together. Print and be damned." She said while putting her hat back on.

"They can't take your photo." Hal stated.

"I appreciate your concern."

"No, really. They can't." Annie said while giving Adam a look.

"But as Thomas Kempis said, _'Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble'_ -" Yvonne was saying while fixing her coat-like garment.

"Wouldn't go out there, if I were you." Tom shook his head.

" _'Attempts what is above its strength'_ -"

"For God's sake, Adam, they've got cameras."

" _'Pleads no excuse of impossibility. For it thinks all things lawful for itself, and all things possible.'_ " Yvonne continued while grabbing Adam's hand and walking towards the door. "Right, darling, let's show our faces to the world."

"No!" Everyone shouted as she reached for the door.

"Okay. She's been odd since I got here. Now you're all at it. What on earth is going on?" She questioned.

~

"You're a vampire?"

"So's he." Adam pointed to Hal as we were standing around the kitchen.

"And Thomas is a werewolf and Annie is a ghost, and what exactly were you again, dear?" She glanced to me while her hands were clasped on the table.

"Adlet." Her brow twitched up. "Half canine, half human looking creature. Native to North America." She nodded, disbelief in her eyes.

"And you're actually 47." Yvonne turned back to Adam.

"Mm-hm. For my 12th birthday, I got an Etch-A-Sketch. Our school gym was opened by Suzi Quatro."

"Adam, if you wish to terminate our relationship, please just say so, rather than insult my intelligence with this bunkum."

"No, it's not-"

"I've abandoned everything for you. My job, my home, my reputation. I implore you, do not repay me with this."

"Why else wouldn't I want my photo taken? Why would I deprive the world of this?" He pointed at his own face. "Look at me. It's partly why I brought you here. It's so I could break the news to you. Please, don't bin me. I know I'm not worthy of you and I know you've turned down thousands of men. I know it's been a nightmare, with the hassling and the dying-"

"Dying? W-what?" Annie spoke up.

"Despite all the attention, I've actually only had two consorts. They both died. Terribly tragic. Rather put me off the whole thing."

"Yeah, but I'm already dead. I'm perfect for you." Adam stated. "I knew when I first saw you.... Actually, I was after the other girl. And then you came and you threw me out, and then you came to me in a dream, and since then you're all I can think of." Yvonne got up from the table and walked away, standing by the stove while looking up. "Yvonne, I need you. I'm begging you, please."

"Adam, you're clearly troubled. That beautiful noggin is playing tricks on you."

"A mirror. Get me a mirror and I'll prove it to you." The vampire stood up.

"No. I mean, there's no need. You're suffering from a delusion. As are your friends. Let's just leave it at that. It doesn't change the extraordinary boy you are. Nor my love for him, not one jot."

"My-"

"Adam, one step at a time." Hal cut in.

"Now, what are we going to do about those infernal reporters? Do you want me to go shoo them off?"

"I'm afraid that might make matters worse."

"Yes, you're probably right." Yvonne nodded. "Maybe if we just lay low for a few days, they'll get bored. I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with us."

"Right. Brilliant. Sorted." Tom nodded before standing. "Do you mind if I have a quick nap? I'm just absolutely cream crackered. Full moon last night."

"....Well, quite." The woman nodded as Tom was leaving the kitchen.

"Tom, don't forget you've got Eve at 3:00." Annie added, watching as the werewolf walked while still staring at Yvonne. He even ran into a shelf on the way out....

"I'll....I'll go make sure he's okay." I said with furrowed brows. Sure, Tom had odd behavior from time to time, but nothing ever quite like this. Going up the stairs, I knocked on his door before going in. "Hey, Tom?"

"Hm?" He rolled over to look at me, his face making him look like a puppy with how he was curled up under the blankets.

"You okay?" I questioned while feeling his forehead for a fever just in case.

"Fine. Just tired." He replied.

"....All right. Rest well, then." I said softly while bending over and kissing his cheek. Still not quite believing the full moon last night was the problem, I just shook it off and left the room.

~

"Are you guys okay?" Annie asked as Hal and I were looking out the windows. The reporters were still out there....

"Of course, I'm looking after her." Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Tom standing rather closely to Yvonne who was looking quite tired and irritated.

"Yes, he's being very attentive."

"I could show you the cellar!" Tom pointed with his thumb.

"Adam, we have to go." Yvonne walked over to the boy as he came from the kitchen.

"Why, what's the matter?"

"It's happening with Tom, the old trouble." And their voices dropped as they whispered.

"Come on, guys, this is ridiculous. Talk to me." The guy at the door knocked again.

"No one's in!" Tom shouted.

"Hey, Yvonne, answer this. Why do weird things happen when I try to take a photo of your boyfriend?"

"Have you been outside?" Hal looked to Adam.

"What? No. When?" He was lying. Perfect.

"I'll show you the photos if you'd like." There was a quiet pause.

"Yeah, I went out the back from there." Adam pointed.

"Why?" Annie gave him a look.

"Were you smoking?" Yvonne asked.

"No."

"I bet he was. Dirty, filthy, habit." Tom stated.

"It's fine, guys, I mean, I'm sure someone in there can give me a perfectly reasonable explanation." The man outside was still talking.

"What are we going to do?"

"Don't be scared. I'm here." Tom placed a hand on his chest and I couldn't tell if he was just trying to reassure her or what.

"Oi, back off!"

"Naya, can you do something?"

"Huh?" I looked back to Annie.

"Can you go out there and say something?" Looking out the window, I chewed the inside of my cheek.

"Yeah, sure. I'll make 'em think their cameras are broken." They gave me confused looks as I went to the door. Stepping outside, the reporters were automatically taking pictures with their flash on before they realized I was neither Yvonne or Adam.

"I was hoping to speak to Adam or Yvonne." The man right in front said after looking at his camera with his brows furrowed.

"They don't want to talk to you."

"So they are here?" He lowered his camera, looking up at me now.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, they probably want to be left alone."

"Who are you?"

"Nunya."

"Nunya? And you're last name?"

"Beezwax."

"Nunya Beezwa- Oh, I get it. Clever." He forced a chuckle while nodding. "Look, mate, all this stuff about Adam and Yvonne, frankly I couldn't give a toss. Good luck to them, I say." He shifted on his feet while placing a hand onto the side of the house.

"Okay."

"I'm more interested in the photos I took of little Adam 'round the back. See, I thought gettin' a shot of him with a fag might be worth some cash, you know, illustrating how he's already been corrupted, blah, blah, blah. But then I looked at my camera. What would you say if I told you that he didn't show up on any of the photos?"

"You didn't aim your camera right."

"I've been doing this for years, I know how to take a photo."

"Then your camera's broken and refracting light is messing up the image."

"What?"

"What?" I heard Annie saying over my shoulder.

"When there's a lot of water in the air, like today, you know, with the fog, then rays of light can be caught and refracted off of the particles making the water in the atmosphere. It happens when rays of light hit the water and change directions as it enters at an angle. It happens quite often with certain lenses and the humidity." There was a quiet pause between the human and the ghost as they both just looked at me.

"I don't quite think so. I think little Adam isn't as innocent as everyone thinks."

"Naya, come inside and shut the door." Annie said, understanding what the man was hinting at.

"Also, I've got a question about your photos." He lifted up the camera and showed it to me, my eyes looking like lasers pointed at the camera.

"Yeah, that's more light refraction." I pointed.

"Uh-huh, yeah."

"I have a tapetum lucidum, and your questions are quite tiresome. I'm going inside now."

"I'm at the Hemmington Hotel, room 906." The guy quickly said. "If you have anything you want to get off your chest, mate, come and find me, yeah?"

"You. You guys are going to want to hear this." Annie pointed at Adam as I locked the door. "The journalist has taken a picture of Adam and now he is suspicious."

"Yeah. Because Adam was smokin'. He's a filthy liar, and you should dump him straight away." Tom piped in.

"Hal, you'll have to go after him." Annie ignored the werewolf while looking to the other man. "I don't really think he bought all of the science-y stuff Naya told him."

"Science-y stuff?" Hal raised a brow.

"I told him Adam didn't show up in the picture because he didn't aim right, he didn't believe me. So I said it was due to refracted light caused by the water particles in the air because of the fog." Hal just sort of looked at me.

"You're actually smart?"

"Piss off." I rolled my eyes.

"And-and then her eyes were glowing in the picture he took, so she had to explain that."

"Let me guess, refracted light again?" Hal sighed.

"Yes." And the others looked at me while Tom and Adam were arguing.

"Anybody hear that sort of whining?" Tom popped off.

"Hal, you have to find out what that guy knows. Threaten him or something." Annie continued.

"I'm not your bloody henchman."

"No, but if he's suspicious, then we have to do something."

"Listen, Fred Basset, I will take you down!"

"There it is again. Did anybody hear it?"

"Even so, to access that part of me is too risky right now. I'm sorry." People were talking all at once and it was like a noisy chaos in my ears.

"I'm sorry, we're creating such a muddle, aren't we?" Yvonne placed a hand on Hal's shoulder.

"Would you excuse me for a moment." The older vampire told the woman before leaving.

"Oh, what the Hell is wrong with you two?" Annie shouted at Tom and Adam.

"Nothing." They both said at the same time.

~

"....not with that dog cocking his leg all over the place." Adam was saying as Annie was pushing him through the hall. She had already explained to me that Tom's behavior was due to Yvonne, which I already knew, but it was because she was a succubus, which I didn't think actually existed.

"Wolf, not dog. Wolf cocking his leg." Tom interrupted as he was peeking his head out of his room.

"Tom, get back in your room. And, please, stay away from Yvonne! Okay?" Annie was trying to get the young vampire out of the house.

"Yes, stay away from my lady."

"What if the house catches on fire?"

"Then, yes. Yes, of course." Annie replied.

"What if Eve starts crying?"

"Yes, if baby Eve starts crying or the house catches on fire. But otherwise you stay in your room and away from Yvonne. Naya will make sure you do." The ghost pointed. "Now, promise me."

"Fine, I promise." Tom said, leaning on his door.

"Right. Good." Annie then looked to me and I nodded. Going into Tom's room, I shut the door as Adam was drug out of the house. Sighing as I sat on the edge of the bed, Tom plopped down in the middle of the floor.

Quietly looking at the werewolf, I did feel a bit hurt about what was going on, but I knew he wasn't at fault because he was under a succubus's spell. At least, that's what I was hoping and thing's would go back to normal afterwards.

Tom hesitantly looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes before he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Naya." He mumbled. My head jerked to the side, hearing footsteps in the hall. "Would you be angry if I went out?" My nose told me it was Yvonne walking around, and with her proximity, she more than likely had a hold on Tom. My lip twitched into a silent snarl as I shifted, my scent becoming stronger in the room.

I was hoping to keep Yvonne away, and yes, I was jealous, but I was also quite territorial and I knew things would not be pretty if Yvonne walked in. My ears swiveled as I listened, and her footsteps went away.

"You promised Annie you'd stay in here." I stated while looking back to Tom. "And I was told to make sure that happens."

"But it'll only be for a minute, you know, to check on Eve."

"She's sleeping." I replied while standing, my tail swaying a bit. "Don't worry." He was giving me the puppy-dog eyes still before his look went towards the door. Yvonne was back in the hall and I sighed with irritation. Slipping off my shorts while Tom wasn't even paying attention, I then dropped down into his lap to make him pay attention to me rather than the older woman walking in the hall.

His eyes locked with mine as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Our noses touched from how close we were and I saw his gaze drop to my lips. Smirking, I kissed him and he reciprocated as his hands were on my lower back. My tail began to slowly wag as I reached down and undid his buckle.

Not being in my human form, my pheromones were stronger and that was what was probably getting Tom to focus on me rather than Yvonne. Also, I had to admit that Tom was getting better at kissing as his tongue caressed mine. I was beginning to pant as my hand slid past his waistband and I could feel the heat of his skin beneath my palm.

Finally getting his dick free from his clothes, I rose off of his lap as he began to nip at my collarbone. Tom's hands slid further down my back until he was grabbing my ass as I lowering myself back down. He licked my throat while yanking me down the rest of the way and I moaned as I tried not to dig my claws in.

Balling my hand into a fist in his shirt, my other hand was on the back of his head while my body temperature was soaring. Tom was lifting me and pulling me back down as his cock was throbbing deep inside my core. His scent was stronger with my heightened sense of smell, and his touch felt like flames licking at my skin as I moaned.

Panting, my toes were curling and my daunting hind claws were just enough off of the ground to not mark the carpet. Feeling so extremely hot, I tore off my shirt to let the cooler air hit my bare skin. Tom's grip on my ass tightened as he began to go harder and I was moaning so loudly along with every grunt and groan he gave.

~

"Oh, dear God!" My head shot up while seeing Annie in the doorway. Rubbing my tired eyes, I looked at the ghost covering her eyes. "Naya, I know I said to make sure he stays in his room, but was this the only way?" The light from the windows was streaming in and I propped myself up on my elbows.

"Guess the jig is up, huh?" I said with a still sleepy voice. "Nah, it wasn't the only way, but Yvonne was making my fur bristle with Tom."

"So you take his innocence?!" She nearly shouted while Tom was still snoring away on the other side of the bed. We were completely naked under the blanket, but the important parts were at least covered.

"....Um...."

"What, Naya?"

"I actually did that on his birthday."

"Oh, dear God!" She rolled her eyes while closing the door.


	6. Matches

"With an 'H'?" I heard a girl saying as I entered the house.

"With a 'T'." Tom replied.

"But not T-H-O-M?"

"No."

"We havin' a werwolf convention?" I popped off, seeing the female werewolf in the living room with everyone sitting around.

"No, this is Allison. We saw her at the cafe before she used some device that wouldn't stop screatching." Hal replied.

"I bet you can't spell my name." The girl smiled. Tom looked to Hal and I leaned on the back of the couch.

"A-L-I-"

"Next!" She said after making a buzzer sound and looked to Annie.

"A-L-Y-" The ghost was cut off by the buzzer noise again.

"Wanna have a go?" She looked to me. Honestly, I only knew one way of spelling the name, so the other two choices sounded bonkers from the beginning to me.

"A-L-L-I-S-O-N?" I raised a brow and her face lit up.

"You're correct!"

"That's unusual." Annie stated.

"What?" I looked at her. "Isn't that how it's supposed to be spelled?"

"Is that how it's spelled where you're from?" Annie looked at me like I was crazy.

"As far as I know, yeah."

"Takk." Allison stated. "Norwegian. It must be the popular spelling for the name where you're from. America, correct? I'm pretty sure that's your accent."

"Correct." I nodded.

"Oh, right, where was I? Yes, obviously I didn't want to approach straight away." She continued while sitting by an opened laptop. "Because I didn't know what sort of idiot exposes himself on YouTube like that. So I thought I'd perform a little surveillance first. But that's when you blew my cover!" She was talking really fast, but she was easy to understand. "So, what sort of idiot does expose himself on YouTube like that?" There was a quiet pause before she hit a few keys on the laptop opened in front of her.

"Here we go. It's grainy, but I managed to enhance your image in Photoshop." Allison turned the screen towards us. I could hear familiar screaming and saw Tom on the video playing.

"It's me." He stated.

"And George." Annie said with sorrow.

"You mean, you didn't know about this?"

"It was a trap by the vampires. We didn't know they were filming." Tom explained.

"But it's had over a million hits."

" _'FX fail'_?" Tom read.

"As in special effects." Allison explained. "Thankfully, most people think it's a fake."

" _'Hairy balls LOL'_?" Hal read with furrowed brows.

"Well, this is just the start! You know we trended last full moon? On....Twitter." She said and we just blankly looked at her. "There's a Facebook group trying to hunt us down."

"Facebook?" Tom sounded rather confused.

"Don't tell me you're still on MySpace?"

"We're more Ceefax people." Hal stated.

"Whatever happened to writing letters or picking up the phone?" I asked.

"Wait, how old are you?" Annie looked at me.

"Just raised old school." I pointed at her before the baby started crying upstairs.

"I'm gonna go and check on Eve. E-V-E." The ghost rose to her feet.

"She's a child of two werewolves." Tom nodded as Annie left.

"Beasts mauling homeless people on the news, the Box Tunnel Cannibal. It's like someone's trying to blow the lid on the existence of werewolves." Allison got up and stood on the other side of the coffee table. Crawling over the back of the couch, I plopped down between Hal and Tom.

"Who?" Hal asked while scooting over.

"You tell us." She pulled off her glasses while giving the vampire a look.

"Vampires have been keeping this secret for centuries." He scoffed.

"You're not doing a very good job of it at the moment, are you?"

"Hal's not really in with the whole vampire scene any more." I shrugged my shoulders.

"And you are?" She raised a brow, and I heard Tom laugh.

"Naya's not a vampire." He chuckled.

"Oh, another werewolf?" Both of Allison's brows raised.

"Not quite, either." Hal stated.

"....Unless ghosts need keys to get into a house, I'm not quite sure what you're saying she is."

"You scare easy?" I asked, and she scoffed.

"I try to keep an open mind about things, so I don't get scared unless I'm about to die."

"Cool." Nodding, a smirk pulled at my lips as I hit my feet on the floor like I had light-up sketchers. Instead of the lights, I shifted and my paws crossed on the coffee table as I laced my fingers behind my head.

"An Adlet!" She gasped, putting on her glasses. "Those are real? Oh, but you don't quite look like the pictures, is that normal?"

"You know what she is?" Tom pointed at me.

"Of course. I ran across them on Google when I was looking up supernatural creatures of the canine variety. Adlets originated from Alaska with the Inuit people before spreading through the rest of North America and Greenland during later years. As the tribes are not very keen on giving information or stories to outsiders, there is much speculation on how Adlets came to be, but the main story is about a woman who never marries any suitor and instead marries a dog, quite strange I know, but that's how it goes. Of their ten children, five are dogs and the others are Adlets, with the lower half of a dog body and the top half of a man. They are fast, aggressive, and in some cases....cannibalistic." Hal and Tom both looked at me.

"Of course I'm not cannibalistic, you fools!" I smacked both of them on their shoulders.

"Ah, I see the aggression part is correct." Allison nodded.

"I'm not so sure about the whole 'marrying a dog' thing, but history gets muddled over time, and _dog_ could actually refer to _werewolf._ That's what vampires call werewolves, but then that wouldn't account for why Adlets are usually half dog and not wolf.... Dear lord, did she actually get it on with a dog or did-"

"Naya, now is not the time to question your heritage and go into a rant." Hal sighed. "And she looks different from usual depiction because her grandmother was a werewolf and her father was human."

"Oh, but back to the problem at hand!" Allison nodded while pointing to Hal. "Maybe you could go undercover!"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"And make a few subtle inquiries over a pint of blood?"

"I've....I've got to get back to work." Hal rose to his feet. "Teaspoons need polishing."

"What?" The girl waved a hand as the vampire made a quick getaway. "Where's he going? This is important! If people find out about the existence of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and even Adlets, there'll be-there'll be riots. There'll be lynchings! It's be like the tuition fees march all over again!"

"Don't you worry. If this has got owt to do with vampires, I know exactly where to look." Tom nodded.

"Oi, you better stake up just in case." I said while patting his chest.

"Of course."

~

"Rough shift?" Tom questioned as I lumbered through the house. Placing my hand onto the table as Allison and Tom were sat around some books, I raised my other hand.

"You have _no_ idea." The frustration was clear in my voice. "I made that meal to the 'T'- _to the 'T'_ \- of what was ordered, and those snobby bastards sent it back because the gravy leaked and touched the other food on the plate. So I made it all over again, making the gravy a bit thicker this time so that it wouldn't go everywhere, and they sent it back again because they changed their mind about wanting the mixed vegetables and asked for me to make it over. So, not wanting to get fired, I had to remake that fucking dish ten fucking times before they decided they wanted it the way I made it the first time! Can you believe that? Ten times! And I am not shitting you because that's how many roasts I had to eat so it wouldn't go to waste!"

"Ten?" Allison's eyebrows rose on her forehead.

"Well, why don't you go shower and rest? I'll bring ya something up later, okay?"

"Oh, you sweet, little wolf." I sighed while grabbing Tom's cheeks and pecking him on the lips. "Don't burn it." I stated before going to the stairs. There was a huge smile on his face, and that already made my mood brighter after seeing it.

~

"So what have you been teaching Tom?" I asked Allison while making breakfast. She was at the table behind me, tapping away on her laptop.

"Mainly ways of debate and facts to help his argument. Why?"

"Because he convinced me to go hunting with him out in the woods next weekend." I glanced over my shoulder at her while smirking. "And he gave quite a speech that I couldn't deny him." Allison chuckled while looking at me.

"My pupil is already using his skills quite effectively, then." Nodding, I turned back to the stove and flipped the omelet. "Oh, would you like to go to the museum with me later? I was planning on asking Tom as well. You know, as thanks for teaching me how to fight vampires."

"There gonna be bones and statues?" I questioned while sliding the omelet onto a plate.

"Of course."

"Perfect. I'm in." Turning around, I set the plate down in front of her.

"Brilliant." She grinned before I set to making more omelets.

"Oh, but I'll be out for a little while to do some grocery shopping and to grab diapers."

"No worries!"

~

"I don't think she's going to turn up, so I should go." Hal was pacing back and forth on the steps of the museum.

"It's only 5:30." Tom stated.

"Hal, listen, Tom told me that you haven't had much female contact over the last few decades, but you just need to relax!" Allison smiled. "Pretend Tom, Naya, and I are a poly couple! That'll lower her defenses with our progressive sense and then you can move in for the kill!" Looking her up and down, I shrugged.

"Yeah, you're compact and adorable. It could work." I shrugged and Tom looked at me.

"Oi, what about me?" Looking him up and down, I just grinned, making him look confused. My expression was borderline pervy, but there was a whole new list as to why he would work that wasn't there before his birthday. Hal just sighed while rubbing his temples, giving the three of us a look.

"Hal, I've found these matches and some of them are the wrong way round." Tom pulled a tiny box from his pocket, already prepared for Hal's mood swings.

"We'll soon see about that!" The vampire grinned while excitedly taking the matches. As soon as he opened it though, a woman walked up.

"Hi." She had short brown hair and a killer leather jacket. Oh, I liked her already.

"Oh, Alex. Hello!" I sent Hal a secret thumbs-up that he waved off. "Thanks for coming! You've already met my h-house and workmate, Tom." The mentioned male waved as the three of us looked up at her. "These are his....girlfriends, Allison and Naya."

"....G-girlfriends?" She looked at us with a strange expression before her look settled on Tom.

"Sorry, I have quite the appetite." I popped off, and the look on her face held shock as she looked at me now instead of Tom. He was the only male in the fake relationship, so she probably assumed the worst. However, if I took lead, then her wrong ideas wouldn't be aimed at Tom.

"Lovely to meet you. We always wondered what it would take to pin this one down." Allison pointed at Hal.

"Right, so, um, which bar are we going to?"

"Bar? Who needs a bar with this bad boy in town?" Allison then pointed behind her. Yeah, I was right. The girl was adorable.

"A museum. Oh, but it's fine 'cause there's a bar in there, yeah?" The woman asked.

"If by 'bar' you mean 'tea shop'?" Thankfully, we were here instead of a bar....

"Show her the badge."

"Tom!"

"Free entry to hundreds of attractions and museums all over the country." There was a little pin with a blue boat on it.

"They got one of those for restaurants because I could pig out in so many places when I'm on my-" And I cut myself off as Tom looked at me. His brow raised with confusion and I remembered the rather awkward situation we were in. "shark week." I stated.

"Oh, you mean when you eat everything in the house?" Tom looked as if he understood, but he honestly didn't since he had no clue why I always got so hungry once a month. I hadn't the gut to explain it to him....

"Yes." I just nodded.

"Well, come on then!" And we went into the museum with Hal and Alex in tow. Looking at all of the displays and statues, the giant skeletons amazed me with how big they were and how massive they had to have been when they were alive. There were wax and stuffed recreations of scenes through time, and people were walking about while also enjoying the museum.

"Shark week?" Allison asked me when Tom and Hal were a few feet away.

"A shark's brain looks a lot like a human uterus."

"Oh, you were referring to your menstrual cycle!" She nodded as understanding lit up her eyes. "Do you really eat everything in the house?"

"Mainly any meats or sweets in the kitchen, but no cracker or banana is safe from me." The girl chuckled, then spotted Alex eyeing us and wrapped her arm around mine as my hands were in my pockets.

"This is just to keep up appearances, so don't freak out."

"Nah, it's fine." I smiled. "You actually remind me of Meg."

"Meg?"

"....A ghost. She's the reason I even came to Wales."

Later, Allison had a small chat with Alex and Tom got a call shortly after.

"We've got to go." Tom said after coming back from talking on his phone.

"What?"

"Just focus on the matches." Tom told Hal.

"No glove, no love." Allison pointed between Hal and Alex while giving them a serious look and I chuckled while following them.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Um, don't be angry, but Allison and I have been trying to track down the vampires trying to expose us. You remember that guy that helped me out when I got arrested? He's our inside man." Pausing as I looked at Tom dead on, his brows furrowed a bit as he gave me his puppy-dog eyes to lessen the blow if I was angry.

Taking in a deep breath as I placed my hands together, I momentarily closed my eyes.

"Is this what you've really been training her for?" There was no reply as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't be upset, I drug him into it." Allison raised her hands.

"Next time, tell me. You're sleeping on the couch for leaving me out of the loop." I pointed at Tom.

~

At the docks, Allison and Tom cornered a vampire as I was prowling along the tops of the stacked pallets. I was to keep a look out while they asked him a few questions, but I also kept an eye on them since werewolves and vampires usually didn't mix well.

My claws softly clicked against the wood I crawled over, and my ears twitched with every sound as I was keeping alert. Glancing from them and my surroundings and back, Allison was in a headlock within seconds after the vampire had elbowed her in the nose. He had taken her stake, but his back was still to me as I ran.

Pouncing on him from above, I dug my claws into his sides and shoulders as my tail kept me balanced. He let Allison go while screaming as I loudly growled and clung to his back. He was wildly waving his arms around, trying to get me off, but I held fast as my claws tore his clothing and flesh. Tom swooped in, staking him so that no mauled body would be left behind.

"You all right?" I asked, looking to Allison as I wiped the blood off of my hands and onto my pants.

"That was amazing! Yes!" She threw her fist into the air as blood covered her face from her nose. The girl was on an adrenaline high while jumping around and pumping her fist into the air. My paws got wet from the blood and water on the ground, but I'd just dry off as we walked home.

~

Allison left, returning home since it had been discovered that she had actually run away. Tom gave her some werewolf tips to help keep everyone around her safe on a full moon, so we didn't really have to worry about her accidentally killing anyone. And as for the old man Annie apparently killed on accident finally passed on after scaring his ex-wife and her new man shitless.


	7. Sorry, Tom

"Tom, hand me that bottle, would ya?" I pointed while cradling Eve in my arms. I wasn't usually as hands-on with the baby since I started working instead, but I had became more involved after Annie had suddenly vanished. "Tom?" I looked up at him, seeing him just standing there, staring at me and Eve with a gentle smile. "Tom!" Chuckling as he seemed to break out of his trance-like state, he walked over and grabbed the bottle.

"Here ya are." He said while handing it to me. Popping off the cap, I shook it a little before giving it to Eve.

"And why are you staring?" I asked as the baby began to drink.

"Do you want to have kids?" Tom asked out of no where and my brain came to a screeching halt. "I mean, in the future." He sat down across from me.

"I do, actually. I mean, you'd make a great father." I replied while making sure Eve wasn't drinking too fast. Tom leaned over and gave me a quick kiss before grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Brilliant." He then walked away, leaving me in a bit of shock.

~

Passing out after Hal took his shift with Eve that night, I slept like a log and didn't even wake when Tom came in. All I knew was that he had come in at some point in the night and he was there when I woke up.

Smiling as I cuddled into his back, he was so warm and comfortable. I had stopped sleeping in my own room after a while, so every night I was in Tom's instead. The werewolf was like my safety blanket when I went to sleep at night, and his scent acted as a substitute if he wasn't there when I laid down.

Hearing Eve crying, I pouted while rolling out of bed. Tom stirred, so I hurried to take care of Eve so that he could rest. Scooping her out of the crib, I gently rocked her while checking her diaper. Sighing, I changed her, but she was still whining.

Carrying her down the stairs, I began to hum to help soothe her while I made her a bottle in the kitchen. Shifting, I held her to my chest with one arm so that I had a free hand to scoop the formula and get the bottle ready.

" _~Tommy used to work on the docks, union's been on strike, he's down on his luck, it's tough.~_ " I began to softly sing as I heated up the milk and rocked Eve. " _~So tough. Gina works the diner all day, working for her man, she brings home her pay for love. For love.~_ " The baby seemed to be calming down a bit, but not completely. " _~She says, 'We've got to hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We've got each other, and that's a lot for love. We'll give it a shot! Woah, we're half way there! Woah, livin' on a prayer!~_ " I checked the temperature of the bottle before giving it to Eve.

" _~Take my hand, we'll make it I swear. Woah, livin' on a prayer! Tommy's got his six-string in hock. Now he's holding in what he used to make it talk- So tough, it's tough. Gina dreams of running away. When she cries in the night, Tommy whispers, 'Baby, it's okay, someday.'~_ " Eve was quietly drinking from her bottle as I held her, still standing in the middle of the kitchen. " _~We've got to hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We've got each other, and that's a lot for lo-~_ " And I cut myself off, seeing Tom leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and a smile on his lips.

"Eve feeling better now?" He questioned, looking to the baby in my arms.

"Uh, yeah." I cleared my throat, feeling embarrassed since he had been there for God knows how long. Apparently, despite my efforts, the baby's crying had woken Tom before I had gotten her to quiet....

~

"Here, I've got to go before the moon rises." Tom handed me Eve and I gave him a look of confusion as a car horn honked outside.

"It's a full moon, where are you going?" I asked while holding the baby.

"I'm going to face some very strong vampires." He honestly replied, knowing he couldn't lie if he wanted to.

"Tom!"

"Look, she's been changed, bathed, fed, and we've been watching _Top Gear_ for the past two hours, so she'll sleep for a while." He told me as I carried Eve to the crib. Laying her down, I was about to chew him out for not telling me anything again and trying to do this on his own. "Where the bloody Hell have you been?" Tom asked as I stood up, and nearly jumped out of my skin as Annie stood there.

"Oh, shi-!"

"Is she okay?"

"She's been going mad, she misses ya. We all miss ya!"

"And I think Hal's back on the blood." I added.

"What?"

"I've got to go, full moon and stuff. Just stay here, yeah?" And Tom walked towards the door.

"Tom....the Old Ones are going to be here any day now, if they're not already. To stop them, we might have to....do terrible things."

"What choice do we have?"

"None. It's not fair, is it?"

"No." Tom shook his head before leaving.

"You okay, Annie? You look a bit....shaken." I asked while looking at her.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm fine." She muttered.

After making sure Annie and the baby were okay, I left to go find Tom. No way was I going to let him fight alone, even if he was wolf-ing out on them. If they were strong enough that he'd need to rely on such a tactic, I didn't want him there alone. I'd just have to be careful and hope he didn't catch me after turning.

Following his scent, it became a little difficult when I got to the road as if he had gotten into a car. Was that Cutler vampire involved?

Finding myself at a club, I felt fear creeping into my system as I looked over the crowd of humans. If Tom really was here and with all of these people, it would be much worse than a fox in a chicken coop. There'd be a damned bloodbath and no way to hide it. The music was so loud as bodies were bouncing to the beat, and I saw Hal trying to get people out. No one was listening, and everything went dead quiet as Tom walked into view after howling.

The people around me stopped, pulling out their phones and pointing their cameras at the werewolf. _'Idiots!'_ I mentally shouted while pushing my way through the crowd.

"Run!" Hal shouted now that he could be heard and I bared my teeth at Tom when he went to chase the people running. Their focus was on escape rather than me, so I shifted and flexed my claws while standing between them and the werewolf snarling. The humans were screaming while flooding to the exits and my tail swayed as Tom and I circled each other.

His yellow eyes looked down at me as he stood tall, puffing out his chest to make himself seem even larger. His tail raised as he was showing dominant body language, and Hal was walking past behind Tom. The werewolf's ears twitched with his nose and his head snapped to the side to see the vampire.

"Hal, back away slowly." I told him while keeping my eyes on Tom. He had no control in this state, and the wolf looked ready to rip Hal to shreds already. "I'll distract him while you get the rest of the people out." I waved my hand before whistling to regain the werewolf's attention.

His attack pose changed back to that of a dominance display. More than likely, Tom could sense the bit of wolf in me and was trying to get me to submit. Hal ran in one direction while I ran in another to keep the werewolf's attention on me. I could hear him bounding after me, but Adlets were quick on their feet and I stayed just out of his reach.

Running through hallways behind the dance floor, I suddenly hit a dead-end with a locked exit. Quickly looking for a way out so that I wouldn't get mauled, I knew I couldn't bust the door open or he'd be loose in town. Growling, I turned around while placing my hands onto the floor and raising my tail as my fur bristled.

I'd have to fight if I didn't want to just die, and I'd have to keep Tom in the building at least so that he wasn't running amok in the city with all those people around. I saw his shadow on the wall before seeing him stepping into view, his teeth bared as he was still displaying dominant body language.

"Sorry, Tom, but you're probably going to hurt like Hell in the morning." I popped off while flexing my claws before he lept at me.


	8. "Always be kind and polite and have the materials to build a bomb."

"Well....at least you two didn't kill each other." Hal popped off as Tom was buttoning up his shirt. We were in the middle of a field now, getting out of the club as soon as the sun had risen, and I shot the vampire a glare.

"I am literally using a jacket as a pair of pants, Hal." I stated while pointing. "All I can hope is that no one sees me until I get proper clothes, but, oh! Look at that! Almost everyone I know already has."

"I'm really sorry, Naya." Tom said, looking a little embarrassed and apologetic.

"I can hardly feel my legs still and my back is killing me, you owe me big time after all that." I pointed at him as he straightened out his shirt.

"But now we know the wolf likes you about as much as I do." Tom replied while sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I kind of got that from how hard I was getting humped, Tom." I gave him an accusing look. "I already lost a pair of shoes shifting like I did, but then you had to go and tear my favorite jeans to shreds as well. You're making me dinner for the next week and doing my share of chores."

"....Okay."

"Don't be too hard on him, Naya, he's not in control when the full moon is up." Hal sort of cringed. "No matter how odd his behavior may have been."

"Don't let them puppy-dog eyes fool you, he's a _man_ , not a child." I pointed before crossing my arms. "Let's just go with Alex's plan and beat the bastard that made this entire situation happen."

~

"Oh, yeah, meant to say. Annie's back." Tom said as we walked into the house. We had gone to get Cutler, but there were others there, the Old Ones, and Hal had us back out.

"Where have you been?" Hal rose his voice while I went to go get some pants.

"Eve must die." I heard Annie saying just as I came back downstairs. "It's the last part of the myth. Eve saves humanity....by dying." I paused where I stood, having a hard time wrapping my head around her words.

"Does the Nemesis.... Whoever it is with the burn, is that who kills her?" Hal asked.

"She is the Nemesis. She has the burn. I'm just the weapon." Annie replied.

"Right, first off, we need to get her out of here." Tom spoke up.

"This is not a group decision. I saw the future. Me. And Eve made it very clear that if she lives, then I'm responsible and nobody else."

"You don't believe it, do you?"

"I don't know!" Annie was crying. "Everything else on that bloody parchment's come true!"

"Annie. Are you saying you might hurt Eve?" Hal looked at the ghost on the couch.

"How could you even say that to me?! I could never, ever hurt a child!"

"But if someone else tried to harm her, what would you do then?" Annie went quiet as she continued to cry. "Jesus...." Hal rose to his feet. "Okay, look. If we can concentrate our energies on destroying the Old Ones, perhaps we can remove Eve from the equation entirely."

"We blow 'em up." Tom stated.

"Of course, brilliant." Hal's voice held sarcasm.

"Do vampires die if you blow them up?" Alex questioned while leaning on the table by the windows.

"Most things die, if you blow them up. Sadly we can't, what with us not living in a cartoon."

"Well, actually, Mr. bloody Radio 4, we can. And I'll show you how. My team, with me." And Tom strutted from the living room to the kitchen. Following him, Hal, Alex, and I watched as he pulled a duffel bag from behind an ironing board in the pantry.

"I'm still not comfortable leaving them alone together."

"We could take Eve with us."

"To your explosives workshop?" Hal replied, and Tom's eyes drifted to Alex. Perfect, a ghost watching a ghost.

"No way." She scoffed.

"Eve needs protecting."

"Yeah, but by me? Why not furry legs over here?" She then pointed to me.

"Naya can only fight things that are physically tangible- she can only fight a ghost if the ghost lets her. Only other ghosts and priests can actually really do anything against ghosts."

"I'm dead."

"Yet I've never met anyone so unaffected by their own mortality." Hal popped off, and Alex rolled her eyes while sighing.

"You've got one hour. By which time, I'll have worked out whether that was a dig or not." She pointed at the vampire before we left.

Oddly enough, Tom took us to the cafe he worked at and lead us to the small kitchen in the back. Pulling out bottles from the bottom of a counter shelf, Hal and I just watched as he stacked the clear containers next to the duffel bag.

"What do you think? I've been putting a bit aside every day."

"Cooking oil?" Hal questioned while eyeing the bottles. "You can make explosives out of cooking oil?"

"Well, there's a bit more to it than that." Tom replied while pulling the contents of the duffel bag out onto the counter with the oil.

"What's all that junk you've been gathering?"

"You didn't really think I was building a swimmin' pool in the back garden, did ya?"

"A swimming pool?" I rose a brow.

"He didn't tell you?" Hal looked down at me.

"No, he told me what it was for."

"What?"

"I can't lie to her, mate. She can tell." Tom said over his shoulder while setting down some tubing.

"How long have you been planning this?" Hal asked.

"Not really been planning anything. Just picked it up off McNair. ' _Always be kind and polite and have the materials to build a bomb.'_ "

"Genius." I smirked.

"So, what do we do?"

"We make 'em. Then I strap 'em to myself, walk into the vampires' nest and set 'em off. Need to get some more bits. Pass us the order pad, I'll write 'em down for ya." Tom replied and I paused.

"Excuse me, but why does that sound like a suicide mission?" I pointed.

"I don't remember how to build a remote detonator. McNair always did 'em. I just knocked out the explosives."

"Tom!" Hal and I both said at the same time.

"What else do we do? Even you said, if we target the Old Ones, we take Eve out of the abrasion."

"You really are one of the most remarkable people I've ever met."

"All right, calm down."

"Hold it, no!" I placed one hand onto my hip while pointing at Hal. "You're not agreeing to this, and you're not doing it." I then pointed to Tom. "You are _not_ blowing yourself up! Tom-"

"Naya, we don't really have a choice. We can't build a remote detonator, and someone has to set off the explosives."

"I'll go." Hal stated.

"What?! Why are you two so eager to die?!" I was nearly shouting as I waved my hands. "There has got to better way to do this!"

"Naya-"

"No!" I cut Tom off. "When I come back, you better damn well have a different plan or I'm skinning you both and making a rug." Walking out rather quickly, I didn't want them to see me cry. Just the thought of Tom dying put me off, but the fact that he was willing to strap bombs to himself and set them off to save Eve was just.... Dear God, I didn't want to even think about it.

~

"Give me back my fucking baby." Annie demanded after busting into the warehouse. Vampires went to grab her, but she pushed them aside with her power. Shifting, I pounced and tore apart any of them that dared try to touch me. I was snarling and baring my fangs, my fur bristling to make me seem like a larger threat on instinct.

"I'm so pleased to finally meet you, Annie. Can I just say, it was an honor watching you in action." The man in the chair said after stopping the other vampires. He then rose to his feet, holding Eve as I stood from the mauled body of a vampire. He gave Eve to Annie before sitting back down. "I think you'll be a worthy guardian for this precious cargo."

"What?"

"Surely you must know by now that we want her kept alive? And who better to safeguard our future than you?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Change of plan, that's all. I had considered raising her myself. She'd have been fed, worshiped, kept safe in a tower of bone. Oh, I think we'd have got a good 80 years out of her, before she passed of her own accord. By which time, any remaining humans would have been docile or utterly demented. But now I'm not so sure." The vampire scratched the side of his head while speaking softly. "Of course, you'll have to keep the truth about her secret from any remnants of resistance. Become furtive, lie to your friends. Let them die to keep her alive. But at least she'll live. So....can we get you a taxi? Your Adlet would have to shift back, but she can ride with you as well."

"I don't understand." Annie replied. "How does keeping her alive save you?"

"I've often wondered that myself. Perhaps the remaining humans wait so long for her to save them that they never build a cohesive defense. That's the funny thing about saviours. It can make one a little....dependent."

"And what will you do to the world?"

"Pluck it apart." The pale man answered. "Like a child with a spider." Annie took a few steps back before looking down at Eve.

"Hal isn't a living thing." She then looked to Alex.

"What?"

"Hal _isn't_ a living thing." Alex got the message and ran at Hal. "Goodbye, Naya." And my eyes went wide before I bolted as soon as she bent over to pick up the detonator. I kicked up dust as I pumped my legs to go as fast as I could, I didn't want to be within the bomb's blast radius when it went off.

The building behind me burst into flames, the explosion propelling me into the water as I flailed my arms and smacked into the ocean. Feeling the cold water surrounding me, I kicked to get back to the surface. Gasping for air when my head broke the waves, I quickly looked around to see where the others were.

I saw them on the other side of the bridge as they were standing after the bomb went off, and I swam towards them. My paws kicked as the webbing between my toes helped me go faster.

"Naya! Naya!" Tom was screaming, his eyes wildly searching through what he could see of the burning building as he was being held back by another larger werewolf. Digging my claws into the concrete, I climbed up out of the water. Pulling myself over the edge, I tried shaking the water out of my fur, but my clothes were soaked beyond belief.

"Over here, genius." I spoke, and everyone's heads whipped around to look.

"Naya!" The other werewolf let Tom go as he ran straight at me and drug me into a bear hug. "I thought you were dead!"

"Gonna take more than that to get me." I chuckled while burying my face into the side of his neck. My hands tightened their grip on the back of his jacket while I was trying to calm my racing heart. I definitely never again want to run from a bomb as it was being set off....

~

"I wasn't ready. You crept up on me." Hal stated.

"You shouldn't have had your music so loud or you'd have heard us coming, wouldn't ya?" Tom replied while tightening the restraints and checking the hoops bolted to the floor over a tarp.

"Let's start tomorrow, I need to defrost the freezer."

"We've started already, mate."

"Untie me, you fucking hound, or I will tear your throat out!" Hal shouted while tugging on the straps holding down his arms.

"Oh, language!" Alex said as she sat down at the bar.

"Untie me, bitch! Do it! Now!" Hal was spitting with rage as that vein popped out on his forehead. He didn't have much of a pulse, but it still appeared in these moments of anger.

"Hal, shush, you're bein' rude now." Tom said as he stood up.

"I'm sorry. Alex, I'm very sorry. It goes in cycles. 50 years, then 55, from good to bad to good to worse."

"So you're having your period? When do you hit menopause?" I popped off, and that vein came back as Hal shook in the chair.

"Shut up, you damn cow! Your ancestors would be proud with how you're fucking a dog like they did." He shouted. "Strutting about and prostrating yourself before that beast like a fucking whore!"

"Hal!"

"Do you want some chocolate? That usually makes me feel better when I'm a bit cranky." I said, still going with the period joke.

"I'd rather drink you dry, but your blood probably tastes like any other four-legged fucking animal!"

"Geez, and I thought _I_ saw mood swings when my mom was ragging." I raised my brows.

"We don't even understand half of the words coming out of your stupid mouth, why do you even speak?" Opening my mouth to reply, Tom raised his hand.

"I don't think the sarcasm is best for now." The werewolf told me before turning to the vampire. "And Hal, you're bein' a dickhead again." Tom's words somehow magically made that vein in Hal's forehead disappear.

"I'll scream. And shout and I'll plead and I'll threaten you." Hal explained as he sat there.

"I don't understand most of what you're saying anyway." Tom replied.

"Then why are you doing this?" Hal questioned and Tom was fidgeting with his hands as he sat on the arm of the couch.

"'Cause you're me best mate." Hal went quiet for a moment as he was still tied to the chair. We were trying to get him clean again after he had a hiccup in drinking blood again. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to tip the scales of his self-control.


	9. Rota

"This isn't about rehabilitation, this is vindictive." Hal grumbled.

"You stay in the chair until you're over the blood lust. Come on, it'll make you strong." Tom said while gesturing with the spoon in his hand.

"I don't mean the chair. I implore you, put a screen in front of me, give me a blindfold. No one should have to look at this." Hal glanced around the living room and I spotted a Cheeto on some newspaper under the coffee table like it was a pet. There was no telling how long it had been there, nor was there a real way to date the other trash save for the newspapers and pizza boxes with the receipts still on them.

"We could put a cover over your head, like a budgie at night-time." Tom replied, and Hal gave Alex a look.

"Don't look at me. I can't eat or drink, none of this is mine." Alex grabbed a magazine off of the bar. "Besides, I spent my life cleaning up after my smelly brothers, so....until the moment I pass over, I shall be mostly reading magazines. Or watching the Welsh rugby team get changed."

"When you go, let me know if you'd like me to accompany ya. There's some weird people out there."

"Says the werewolf spoon feeding mashed banana to the vampire."

"Ten minutes is all I ask, supervised, of course." Hal was begging. "Just so I can do a quick run-round with the hoover and sort out the recycling. Please!" He said. "This is torture."

"If we wanted to torture you, we'd show you a picture of the bathroom." I popped off.

"The bathroom too? You people are animals."

"I've seen worse."

"Worse? How can you get worse than this?!"

"Two words: Frat house." I stated.

~

"We're thinking of letting you out." Alex crossed her arms as we stood in front of Hal after our little house meeting.

"Thank you. Fill a bowl with boiling water and washing-up liquid. This is a two-sets-of-Marigolds problem."

"Out-out. But it's your call. If you're still dangerous, say so now."

"What?"

"I mean, Hal, we can wait some more. Don't let me do this if you're still a risk." Tom stated.

"There must be a structure."

"First off, steer clear of vampires. They're bad influence. That goes for all of us. No more supernatural nonsense."

"Agreed." Hal nodded.

"And if you drink blood again, then...."

"You'll kill me."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a fine."

"Drinking blood means I have become the man I fear. Drinking blood is the overture to a greater catastrophe."

"You need to swear on summat." Tom reached into his pocket while stepping forward. "On the memory of Eve." And he was holding up one of her bibs.

"On the memory of Eve."

"Right then." Tom smiled while putting the bib back into his pocket, he went over and began to untie the restraints.

~

"Oh, smell that alpine freshness!" Hal came out of the kitchen before taking a deep breath through his nose and sighing. The house was spotless once again, and we were sat at a table in the dining area as Hal came over with a pen and paper.

"What's this?" Alex took the paper.

"This, my friends, is peace in our time." Hal took the paper back.

"It's okay, I've seen it before. It's a cleaning rota." Tom explained.

"I split the domestic duties into four sub-groups. Tom, Alex, Naya, and I." Hal ran his hand over the paper.

"Why is there one for me? I'll be passing over soon."

"Yes, but until then, you're part of this household. Now-"

"But then you're going to have to draw up a new rota." Alex spoke up while Tom was batting the wooden place mat back and forth like a cat out of boredom.

"I know. Now-"

"How are you going to complete your business and pass over?"

"Find my body and get it to my family, I guess." Alex sighed. "So they can all grieve and stuff."

"Didn't them blokes take it?"

"Yeah, so we just....find out who they are and go to the papers or something."

"Well, that's obviously out of the question." Hal stated as I placed a hand onto the chunk of wood in front of Tom to stop the noise.

"Why?"

"We cannot risk werewolves and vampires and ghosts and even Adlets being revealed to the world. The consequences could be catastrophic. Column one-" He tried to continue with the previous topic.

"No, sorry. You, of all people, don't get to dictate what we tell my dad and brothers."

"What does that mean? Me, of all people?"

"I'm not letting a good man die of grief just to protect the fucking Twilight franchise."

"We'll discuss this later."

"You can discuss it later." Alex shifted in her chair. "With yourself."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Cleaning rota."

"Thank you, Tom." Hal nodded to the man sat across from him. "As you can see, Alex has the lion's share of the domestic tasks. Tom and I will take on extra shifts at the cafe to cover the rent." Tom, Alex, and I all exchanged a look. "Why are you looking at each like that?"

"Um, the cafe.... Tony didn't like us taking all them shifts off while you were strapped in the chair, so he sort of sacked us." Tom answered while tapping the place mat on his chin.

"On the bright side, Naya got promoted and you get to make a new rota." Alex smirked and Hal looked at me.

"You got promoted?"

"Yeah, uh, my sense of smell helps with the spices and taking care of a few idiots throwing cabbage got me a leg up when the kitchen staff was getting reviewed."

~

"What are you doing here?" Alex sat down across from me as I was sipping on some coffee.

"Came to visit the boys on their first day of work." I told her.

"How'd you even get in here?" She asked. "This place is a bit posh."

"With promotion comes reputation, apparently." I chuckled. "Gina wanted me to test the food here to see if we have competition coming up, but don't tell anyone that."

"Of course not. If those two knew there was a competition, they'd probably be all over it like piranhas." She glanced around while shifting in her seat. "They'd try to outdo the 'Naya Chef' and there'd be no end to it."

"Nah, I'd just completely crush them so they'd have no hopes of reaching my level." I chuckled and Alex lightly laughed before waving her hand and looking behind me.

"There's Tom." She told me, and I glanced up in time to see the werewolf standing next to the table. Nearly choking on my coffee, I could hardly believe what Tom was wearing. Sure, his shirt wasn't tucked in all of the way, but it at least fit as he had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The red vest was buttoned over his broad chest, and those pants that actually fit him were doing something. Everything wasn't sizes too big like his normal clothing, and actually fit right, even showing off some of his muscle like on his shoulders and biceps.

"Naya, are you all right?"

"Fine, fine." I waved while tearing my eyes away. Alex was raising a brow at me while smirking as Tom walked over.

"It seems like our friend has already issued a K.O."

"What?" Tom looked confused as I shot the ghost a look.

"Nothing."

"Naya likes the new uniform."

"Oh, really? Fancy, innit?" He smiled that angelic smile and I was dying while Alex was laughing. "Even got a nametag." And he showed me the shiny metal plate clipped to the vest.


	10. Work

"Ms. Byrd, I do believe I told you to-" Gina was talking, but cut off as I turned around and held out the pan. "Oh, my mistake." She cleared her throat. "Make sure those get to the catering van without ruin." She nodded before strutting off as her heels clacked on the floor.

Narrowing my eyes at her as she left, I twitched my lip up into a snarl. Putting a lid on the pan, I carried it out to the catering van parked in the back. Setting it with the other pans and containers full of food, I closed one of the back doors. As I did so, the chef being sent with the van came around the corner and leaned on the back of the van with his arms crossed.

"Makin' a name for yourself rather quickly, Naya." He smirked while looking down at me.

"Tends to happen when you're competent." I popped off while grabbing the other door.

"How about we celebrate your rising through the ranks with dinner tonight. My treat." Looking back at him, I caught his gaze being directed at my ass as I was turning around.

"I'll pass." I nearly growled while slamming the door shut.

"Come now, I know a place quite suitable to your tastes and I'm willing to pay."

"Sorry, pal. I've got a boyfriend, and even if I didn't, I don't date coworkers."

"I haven't heard of a boyfriend or even seen one. Are you making it up to play hard to get?" He asked while following me back into the building. "I heard a lot of you American women like to play that game."

"I could show you a picture of his huge cock if you don't believe me." I popped off rather bluntly, but it was a bull-faced lie. Tom was too shy to do something like sending dirty pictures, and he still blushed when he took his clothes off in front of me.

The other chef cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'd rather you not, but what if I showed I was better than your boyfriend? I'm smart, funny, adept in the kitchen, I'm a likable guy, and I have so much more to offer."

"Sorry, I didn't catch any of that over the sound of me being loyal my man." I waved a finger while rounding a counter and picking up a new order that needed to be filled.

~

"Tic, tac, toe. Look up high, look down low. Let's have three in a row. Don't let the butler step on your toe" I heard two voices chanting as I closed the door behind me.

"Ah, 16-0. Let's go." Tom said as I raised a brow at the party decorations and the huge sign over the fireplace.

"Tic, tac, toe. Look up high, look down low. Let's have three in a row. Don't let the butler step on your toe." From the look on Tom's face, he had lost whatever game he was playing with the runt I had never seen before.

"I don't want to play this any more." He rubbed his forehead and I saw Alex looking like a dead body with her face flat on the table as Hal was trying to figure out the shiny thing in his hands. "Let's play party games." There was a paper crown on both of the men and I just had this look of utter confusion on my face.

"Oh, Pass the Slipper!"

"Pass the Slipper!"

"What the Hell?" I spoke up, and Alex shot up in her seat, her expression looking mad as she locked eyes with me.

"Save us!" She practically hissed as the little boy seated with them turned in his seat to look at me.

"Nope, not dealing with this." I raised my hand while looking away and heading towards the kitchen.

"Naya, please." Hal looked at me as if I could provide him mercy and I glanced back to see Tom and the boy who I assumed was the Oliver from the aforementioned poster. They were giving off the same amount of excitement and I didn't know what to do about the way the boy had started to grin.

"Come on, Naya, we were just about to play some games!" Tom smiled and I placed my hand over his face so I didn't have to look at it.

"That's cheating."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Naya Byrd, I'm-"

"Oliver, yeah, saw the sign." Shaking his hand, he sort of cringed.

"Dear Lord, woman, you have the handshake of a caveman." Pausing as he continued to talk, I got the idea of what kind of lifestyle he grew up with. "I assumed from your manner of dress that you were just less ladylike than most, but it appears I was wrong." Glancing to the others, I figured this is what they had to deal with all day.

"Sorry, not used to shaking such tiny hands." I popped off.

"Apology accepted." He nodded. "Also, do try to speak clearly, I hardly understand your native savage speak." Looking at the table while facing the others, I pointed at the child.

"Please tell me he did not just say that."

"What? It's fine, I understand that you aren't fully savage, I've heard the tales of your family tree." He nodded. "However, your grandmother may have made some questionable choices in marrying an uncivilized man."

"Oh, you little racist-!" Tom grabbed me before I jumped over him to get to the kid.

~

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A woman stepped in front of me, a clipboard in her arms as she looked me up and down. Her nametag said she was called Patsy, and I held out my hand to her.

"Naya Byrd, a chef from La Danse de la Lune." I told her as she shook my hand. Her eyes went wide as I continued. "I came to properly check this place out since I heard it was wonderful here, especially to dine."

"You're....American?"

"Yes." I nodded while smiling and stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"And you work at La Danse de la Lune?"

"Yes."

"And you're a chef?"

"....Yes."

"Oh, goodness me, it is an honor to have you here." She smiled. "Please, don't be afraid to ask for anything." See, what I never told the boys about my job was that it was in a restaurant with a near five star rating. That's why my actual interview was me cooking and why it was such a high paced job in the kitchen. "I'll have my best waiter serve you. Hal!" She called, and said vampire came into view.

"Naya? What are you doing here?" He looked down at me with confusion.

"Oh, you two know each other? How brilliant!" And Patsy was giving Hal some heavy bedroom eyes as she bat her eyelashes. _'Oh, so this is Patsy-Patsy that Alex mentioned....'_ I thought. "Please show Ms. Byrd to a table."

"This way." Hal nodded while waving me after him. As I sat down, Hal raised the menu while looking down at me. "Why was Patsy treating you like an important guest?"

"Good customer service?" I shrugged. Hal looked at me with suspicion, but said nothing more as he walked off to give me time to look at the menu.

"Naya! Did you come to visit again?" Tom was smiling as he walked over.

"Sort of." I gently smiled. "How's the Employee of the Month competition going?" His smile fell as he sighed.

"A lot tougher than I thought."

"Oh, really?" I raised a brow. "I thought it'd be a breeze for you."

"Well, Hal's really good at cleanin' and he knows how to talk to people well. Plus, he's really smart."

"You're smart in your own ways. Like....none of us knew how to make a bomb out of house supplies like you did, not even Hal. You're well mannered and respectful, so that shows knowledge of maturity as well as a number of other things." I told him and his lips twitched up into a soft smile. "You're a hard worker, Tom. It'll pay off."

"Thanks, Naya." He shifted on his feet. "Can I get ya anythin'?"

"I'll take the steak and mashed potatoes." I pointed at him. "And tea."

"Sugar, no milk, right?" He asked and I nodded. "What kind?"

"Uh....what kind do we have at the house?"

"I'll just bring it to ya." Tom chuckled. "If it's gross, I'll owe ya."

"Sounds like a plan." I smiled and he went off to the kitchen. He first brought out the tea while explaining it would take a little while for the food to be ready, but that was fine with me and I got to see him working with other people at their tables as well. Tom was all smiles and manners and the people seemed pleased by how polite he was.

I, on the other hand, was more focused on his ass in those pants as I was watching him walk around over my tea-cup. Good Lord, did he look good in a uniform....

"Food's done." Tom said while setting a plate down in front of me.

"Thank you." I smiled while setting my cup down. "Since I'm off, do you want me to make dinner tonight?"

"Oh, that'd be brilliant." He grinned while nodding. "Haven't had your cookin' in a while since you been workin' so much."

"Thomas!" My eyes snapped to the voice as Tom's relaxed posture went rigid. It was Patsy and she looked rather angry.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Why are you bothering our guests? Go and get back to work!" She wrote something down on her clipboard and I raised a brow. Was this how he was usually treated?

"Tom wasn't being a bother." I stated. "I was just having a friendly chat. He's a rather polite young man."

"Oh, well, um, my mistake. See, I've had a bit of trouble with that one since I hired him." She said after Tom walked away to get back to working. Furrowing my brows, I was a bit confused since I knew Tom pretty well. "Well, I hope you enjoy your meal. I'll leave you to it." She nodded with a smile and I narrowed my eyes at her as she walked away. Something smelt a bit fishy with that woman.

~

Working in the kitchen, I was making dinner for all of us that could eat when a piano began to play. It sounded fairly off and many of the keys were incorrect in the song.

"Just like falling off a log!" I heard Alex shout.

"Certainly sounds like it." Hal replied.

"What?"

"It's lovely. It's beautiful." Tom answered, and from his tone I knew he was lying. My head fell back as I laughed in the kitchen while Alex was playing the piano. I could even hear dogs howling in the neighborhood from the sound.


	11. A Rat

"All right, I've got eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, biscuits, and juice. How's that sound after a full moon?" I asked while Tom was coming to the dining area after leaving the basement.

"Bloody perfect." He plopped down at the table, wearing nothing but his underwear, and began to wolf down his breakfast.

"Good. I've got an early shift, but I'll be off later, okay?" I questioned while kissing the top of his head.

"Okay." Tom replied after giving me a quick peck on the cheek and I was out the door to work.

~

Pausing as I walked into the house, I saw a larger, older man standing there with a suitcase at his side. Tom turned to look at me with a huge grin on his face as he was holding a cardboard cut-out of the man next to him.

"Welcome home, Naya." Tom nodded, and the other man looked at me and smiled as I set my keys down on the bar counter.

"Um...." I looked at Tom, while pointing to the man.

"Larry Chrysler." He held out his hand for me to shake it.

"He's gonna teach me how to be a successful werewolf!" Tom added as I shook the man's hand. Narrowing my eyes a fraction as the man looked me up and down, I didn't like the way he smelled.

"And you are?"

"Naya Byrd. Tom really invite you in?"

"Yes, and whoever heard of an American werewolf in Wales?" He chuckled, thinking he was making a funny joke.

"Not a werewolf, I'm an Adlet." I shook my head.

"Never heard of it, but if that suits your fancy, so be it." Larry nodded while dropping my hand. "So?" He then turned to Tom while picking up his suitcase. Tom nodded.

"Oh, right. This way." And he led the bigger man to the stairs. Looking to Alex and Hal, they exchanged glances before I suddenly puffed up with fur.

"Naya?" Alex had concern in her voice.

"Smells like a rat." I growled as my tail swayed.

"Um, your shoes." Hal pointed to my feet and I glanced down to see them all ripped up.

"Damn it!"

~

"So, Naya, was it?" Larry plopped down on the couch while I was reading a book in the living room. As soon as I heard his voice, my fur puffed out again and my feet turned to paws on the coffee table. "Holy shit." He paused, and I looked up at him as my ear twitched.

"Larry, was it?" I popped off.

"Uh, right."

"What do you want?" My eyes went back to the book in my hands.

"Tom speaks highly of you, you know? It's almost as if he values your friendship more than others." Snorting as I listened, he just kept talking. "Some might even say from his behavior that he _really_ likes you, and from how naive he seems, you'd have to be very dense not to notice." _'Oh, dear Lord, he has no idea about it, does he? You'd have to be very dense not to notice.'_ I mentally mocked him. "So why is it that you have ignored his feelings and continued your friendship?"

"Because we're not friends."

"Beg your pardon?"

"You haven't seen his room, have you?" I questioned while flipping the page.

"I have."

"Where do you think those claw marks on the wall came from?"

"I....I assume he must have transformed in there on accident. Where are you going with this?"

"Is that what he said happened?"

"No, he just sort of looked away a bit embarrassed. I don't know why, we're both werewolves. Things happened." Larry shrugged before smirking. "So, if there's nothing going on between you two, you wouldn't mind me asking you to have lunch with me tomorrow, would you?"

"Those claw marks on the wall are from me riding Tom's face a few days ago. Haven't gotten around to covering them up." The man's face held utter shock, but I honestly didn't care, I just wanted him to leave me alone already.

"You....and Tom?" He questioned while raising both eyebrows. "I never imagined him to be the sort.... I mean, he's so-"

"Yeah, McNair raised him with manners and brought him up right. There may have been a few hiccups, though, but he's rather modest and a sweetheart unless you toss him into a room full of vampires and hand him a couple stakes." I commented. "So, what were you saying earlier?"

"Um, nothing. Nothing." He shook his head and I got up to leave.

~

"What the Hell is this?" I asked Tom after finding a book under his pillow. It was something about pie and I wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Oh, Larry gave it to me. It's helping me become successful."

"Really?" I raised a brow and he nodded. As far as I knew, since Larry had gotten here, that man hadn't really done anything to make Tom _'successful'_ and instead was making him a bit douche-y to be honest. He was saying stuff he normally wouldn't, and tensions were so high between him and Hal that it reminded me of when they had first met.

Not to mention, Larry was still making passes at Alex and I even after me explaining my relationship with Tom to him. It was pissing me off and I was almost constantly walking around on paws instead of feet in the house. Good God, did I have the urge to rip out the man's lungs every time he spoke and nothing but lies seemed to spill from his mouth whenever he opened it.

Later that night, a ghost friend of Hal's named Mary showed up with Alex and we all sat down to dinner together. Hal had cooked, so I got a good laugh out of him wearing that ridiculous apron.

"So....250 years." Alex said. "Man, that's a long time to stay on the straight and narrow. What's your secret, Hal?"

"Are my ears burning?"

"So, ghosts really can't eat?" Larry asked, slouching in his chair as his focus was now on Mary.

"No. We can't. It's tragic." Alex popped off. "Anyway, Hal, 250 years without blood. That's quite an achievement."

"What else can't you do? I'm right in saying you can't take your clothes off, aren't I? Does that also mean you can't, you know....have a bath?" Larry asked, but his expression and tone made it sound like he wanted to say something else.

"No. It's a shame. Anyway, Hal, Mary, blood, discuss." Alex continued.

"It is unfortunately very true." The fancily dressed woman nodded as dinner was getting even more awkward. "Yet even though I've been dead for over 200 years, I am sure I 'bathe' more regularly than some people I could think of."

"I prefer showers. You're just sitting in your own muck in a bath." Tom piped up.

"Well, you do tend to somehow get covered in dirt one way or another." I chuckled while taking a drink from my cup.

"Forget the baths, it's the shaggin I miss." Alex commented and I snorted.

"I think I need to go." Hal stood up while taking the empty plates to the kitchen.

"So I see the footsie's gone up. Crazy!"

"The fuck is a footsie?" I furrowed my brows.

"Real pity. Real waste. Pretty girl like you. That you'll never again know the love of a man." Larry continued before Mary raised her hand. Suddenly, a knife was in her hold before she was holding it to Larry's throat.

"Do you want to stay a man? Do you? Just nod." Her eye twitched as her voice remained low.

"Alex...." Tom said with some concern, but Alex just held up a finger while watching the two across the table.

"Okay. Then you don't talk to me, you don't look at me, you don't even think of me again. Because if you do, I will cut your nutsack off in the night. Oh, and mention one word of this to Hal...." She trailed off before stabbing the knife into the cushion of his chair between his legs. His face held pure terror before he got up.

"I just gotta catch up on some work." Larry said while walking off.

"Going to change his undies, had the shit scared out of him." I popped off. Mary was looking at something before suddenly vanishing.

"What have you done?" Hal walked back in. "You've broken Mary."

"I told you. She only puts it on because she thinks you need it."

"That's insane. Why would I need her to do such a thing?"

"Because somehow she has this crazy idea that she was your last-ever victim."

"....You haven't told her?"

"No, I haven't." Alex replied. "But how the Hell could you let her think that for so long?"

"It's not exactly an easy topic to raise."

"Hal, she is turning down doors because she thinks it's keeping you clean. You have to tell her."

"I can't. It would destroy her, she's far too fragile."

"Hal, does she look fragile?" Alex questioned as the pitch of her voice went higher. Hal just walked away as Tom and I awkwardly sat there.

"Your mate's a nutter." Tom mumbled while cleaning up the crumbs around him on the table.

"Yeah, well, yours is an arsehole and a lech and a bullshitter."

"He's got a Jacuzzi."

"Oh, stuff his Jacuzzi. Seriously, Tom, what are you even doing with that guy?" I spoke up before taking a drink.

"Learning how to be like him."

"I doubt he's the true success you think he is." I muttered behind my glass.

"What ya mean?"

"I mean, if it smells like a rat, it's usually a rat. And Larry smells like a total slimeball, so...." I trailed off while shrugging. Tom looked at me like he was thinking for a bit, then got up from the table.

"I'm gonna go check on Larry." Sighing as he went up the stairs, Alex awkwardly pat me on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Tom's smart. He'll figure things out." She said. "Eventually...."

"Yeah....thanks." I gave her a look. "You don't have to comfort me like one of the girls. Just help me knock some heads if I have to and back me if I have to smack Tom upside the head for being an idiot."

"I can do that." The ghost nodded while looking relieved. "I can definitely do that."

~

"Tom, are you in there?" Alex asked as we found a tent set up next to McNair's grave. Hal went to a smoldering fire, finding the things Larry had given Tom among the ashes.

"No." Came a rather weak reply from inside and I threw open the flaps on the tent. Tom was laying there, fiddling with a stake while crying. _'I'm going to fucking kill that douche-bag.'_ I mentally growled. "How did you know I was here?"

"We know how much McNair meant to you, Tom. His grave seemed like a good bet." Hal said softly.

"How are the funds going, Tom? For his gravestone?"

"I've changed me mind. I don't want a gravestone. I've spent the money, it's gone." Tom replied, not looking up from the stake he was messing around with. Gently grabbing his chin, I made him look at me while crouching down.

"Tom, did Larry take all the money?" I asked, making sure that my tone wasn't full of the sharp edges I felt pricking at my heart from seeing what was before me.

"He were a surveyor. McNair." He didn't answer me as he sat up, sniffling again. "Did you know that? Before he got bit." Tom crossed his legs. "He never told me, I had to find it out. He was a success. And then he turned into a werewolf. And he ended up livin' in the woods in a van."

"And raised a son who was courageous and motivated and generous." Hal added.

"Nah. No, Larry was right." Tom nodded his head. "It's a waste of time wolves tryin' to better themselves and fit in. This is where we always end up. In the woods, poachin' rabbits. This is as good as it gets for us." His voice faltered from his crying.

"Tom, you have one night to worry about." Hal replied. You're the closest to human of all of us."

"Yeah, I used to think that too." Tom glanced to the vampire. "Then Larry put me straight. The wolf never sleeps. He's always there, inside me, makin' me dumb."

"Tom! That is utter nonsense." I almost snarled just thinking of the things that dickhead could have told Tom. "If that's what Larry has been telling you, he is despicable."

"No, it's good. All this time I thought I was the problem. But it's not my fault, it's the wolf's. So it's okay, innit?" He shook his head.

"Let's say that's true."

"Naya, what-"

"No! Let's say you have a monster inside you all the time. Pulling at your strings. Tormenting you, itching to see you fail. Well, join the club! Come on in! Because if you do, if all of that is true, then this is where you prove your worth." I placed my hand on his chest over his heart. "By fighting it. By defying it."

"By proving it wrong. By standing toe to toe with it every day and spitting in its face." Hal spoke up, sounding as if he was close to tears now as well due to his own experience.

"Larry told me he lost his wife and his job because of the wolf." Tom sniffled.

"Whatever Larry's problems are, I'm damn sure they have nothing to do with him being a werewolf and everything to do with him being a _failure_." I made Tom look me in the eyes. "You are nothing like him. You are stronger in every way. You are a good man, the best I've ever known."

"Not a success though, am I?"

"Yes, you are, by all the measures that matter." Hal stated.

"That's just a wishy-washy way of saying failure, innit?"

"All right, how's this for starters?" I pointed at him. "Did you ever actually do anything with Yvonne?"

"No."

"Exactly, and you were under her spell. Did you ever actually do anything with Allison?"

"No." He said again while sniffling.

"And she was an actual werewolf. We've been together for a good while now, and you've been loyal the entire time. You've been a werewolf the entire time. Even when the full moon had your hormones raring and your instincts screaming at you, you did nothing that could ever hurt me. Larry had been with his wife for God knows how long, and he was only a werewolf for a little while before he was already sniffing at other ladies. Hell, I bet he was doing it before and used the wolf as an excuse."

"Look, I know you three mean well, but this is for the best. Really, it is. I know where I am in the woods, it's like I'm at home." Tom sniffled again. "I don't have to dress up or learn stupid rules. I can stop pretending I'm normal. I don't have to try for anything more. This is enough for me. It's enough." His voice was so weak, and my heart felt heavy as he turned his back, laying down while facing the opposite way as he sobbed.

Clenching my jaw, I rose to my feet while balling my hands into fists. I was shaking with rage and I didn't look at either Alex nor Hal as I turned on my heel and walked towards the opposite way we had come.

"Naya? Where are you going?" Alex spoke up.

"To vent." I snarled as a growl was growing deep in my chest. "I'll kill that motherfucker if I go home now, so you better get him out of the fucking house while you still can." Looking back over my shoulder at them, I was baring my teeth as they turned to sharp fangs and my ears pointed out. "I mean it."

~

"Oh, my God, Naya?" I heard Alex as I was coming to. "What the bloody Hell happened?" Softly groaning as I cringed, I stretched out my limbs like a dog, feeling the pile of leaves I had passed out in.

Smacking my lips as I sat with my legs crossed, I rubbed the side of my head, feeling dried leaves and twigs in my hair. My tail curled against my leg before I looked up at the ghost.

"How long was I gone?"

"A few hours." Her face looked mortified as she was looking around instead of at me.

"Where's Tom?"

"Back at the house with Hal." She mumbled. My arms and mouth and neck were covered in dried blood while surrounding me were dead bodies of dear and rabbits and various other critters I had caught. Their throats had been ripped out as their bodies were torn to shreds, but I hadn't actually eaten anything. "You call this venting?"

"Oh, that's right. You weren't there when Allison gave the little history lesson on Adlets...." I said nonchalantly. "Sorry you had to see this then, but my species are actually highly aggressive carnivores. I usually get my anger out in other ways, but the whole thing with Larry and Tom set me off over the edge." Shaking some of the leaves out of my hair, I hopped up as my claws dug into the dirt.

"So you really were serious about killin' Larry, then?" And the way she looked at me changed, holding a bit of fear as I mentally sighed.

"Tom keeps me calm, so seeing him cry like that for the first time has me pissed beyond belief. However, I am feeling better now. Oh, and don't worry, this'll all get eaten by foxes and strays and whatever." I waved my hand at the dead animals surrounding me.

"That's why you don't drink." Her voice was soft.

"That's why I don't drink." I nodded.


End file.
